


The Debt

by Laurawrzz



Series: Destiny [3]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Alternate Universe, Angst, Babies, Birthday, Childbirth, Childhood, Doctor Whump, Drunkenness, F/M, Fluff, Gallifrey, Gallifreyan, Gen, Imprisonment, M/M, Memories, Multi, Post-Episode AU: s04e13 Journey's End, Pregnancy, Smut, Torture, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-07-06
Packaged: 2018-05-13 18:37:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 40
Words: 98,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5712880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laurawrzz/pseuds/Laurawrzz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When his family are put into mortal danger, the only one the Doctor can turn to is his most sworn enemy - calling in a debt from almost 1000 years ago.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Two Little Boys

**Author's Note:**

> Continuing the Destiny series, but you could read it on its own!
> 
> This was originally posted on FF.net in 2011. It's been significantly updated for AO3 to be a bit less teenager :P
> 
> I usually opt not to, but for the Destiny series, relevant Eighth Doctor film canon applies i.e half-human (purely because it's far more interesting for me to work with!). I love to be completely accurate when I write the Doctor's childhood, but a lot of things are bit skew-whiff so I take a tiny bit of creative license :D

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Leah are attacked in the Shadow Proclamation.

The prank hadn't quite gone according to plan.

Well, that was a slight understatement, Theta couldn't help but think as he and his best friend Koschei tore through the Time Academy corridors as if their lives depended on it. Certainly, their future as Time Lords seemed in Theta’s mind to be a little at stake.

It had been while on an academy galactic outing that Koschei had conceived of the idea to mix a concentrated dose of laxative into the staff's food dispenser. Theta had laughed at the very thought of it, made the laxative and gave it to Koschei. Of course, it wasn’t efficient enough on Gallifreyans for the full effect, but after giggling slightly too loudly whilst hiding in the staff room it did mean they were currently being chased by roughly fifty furious and farting cardinals.

Theta was sweating badly; the heavy long academy dress that he wore over his normal clothes proving to be a terrible escape outfit. He was half-tempted to rip it off, but it was possibly the only thing keeping him from being fully identified so he gritted his teeth and bared it, following Koschei with every modicum of speed he could muster to the grounds where the other students were.

“C'mon, slow poke!” Koschei yelled in delight, side glancing at Theta, who just gasped in reply. “Just half a mile left!”

They rounded a corner, but suddenly Theta misplaced his foot. His ankle twisted, surging with pain before he ended up on the floor, crying out.

“Theta?!” Koschei yelled, dropping down next to him.

“Keep running!” Theta implored through gritted teeth, holding his foot. “I've done my ankle in!”

“You've gotta be kidding!” Koschei said, grabbing Theta around his chest and hauling him to an alcove to the side. Koschei then propped him up against the wall before poking his head around to keep watch as Theta grimaced in pain, pulling off his shoe to check his ankle. It was already swelling and turning a shade of reddish-purple.

Quickly there came the sound of running, farting teachers and Koschei shrunk back behind the wall to hide. Moments later they streaked past and disappeared around the next corner.

Koschei quickly turned back to Theta, stooping. “What's wrong with it?”

“I dunno,” Theta muttered.

“Is this your weak thing?” Koschei asked.

“Must be,” Theta muttered, staring at his ankle. Stupid staazula of an ankle. Stupid staazula of a body. He hated his body. He was weaker than everyone else. He’d never been taken to the hospitallers so he didn’t know why. His cousins said to his face that he was loomed wrong and he should be re-loomed. They were probably right. His bones were far more delicate and his strength, agility and stamina far less than any of the Gallifreyans his age. He hated knowing it. He hated talking about it. He just hated it. Many older Time Lords had told him he’d never be able to regenerate properly, and if he did he wouldn’t have any control over his appearance.

Stupid, useless body.

“Hey, you’re running faster now though,” Koschei said, obviously trying to be helpful, before adding, “one day you’ll actually be normal.”

It never lasted long with him.

“I mean maybe when you regenerate you’ll work. If you can regenerate properly,” he added.

Theta didn’t answer that, just feeling sorry for himself.

“C'mon.” Koschei finally got up, helping Theta to his feet and slinging his arm around his shoulder. “New plan. If we cut across here we can get to the girls' dorms and find Reuth.”

“I'll only slow you down,” Theta protested with a shake of his head.

“I'm not gonna let you get caught,” Koschei said firmly, and began to half-support, half-drag Theta across the corridor. They had barely made it across before the sound of the angry teachers gradually began to get louder.

“They're coming back,” Koschei realised, stopping to look up.

“Leave me here,” Theta said instantly.

“Are you even _listening_ to me?” Koschei wondered with a raised eyebrow, propping Theta up on a table and turning his back to the boy, grabbing his legs and coaxing him to jump on his back. Somewhat apprehensively Theta did, clinging on for dear life. Koschei boosted him with a grunt.

“Great Rassilon, how many Promarzzi Bars did you have for lunch?” Koschei cursed, laughing.

“Eight...” Theta muttered guiltily.

Koschei laughed, but had to sober up when he realised the sound of the advancing Cardinals was getting closer. Spinning on his heel Koschei held tightly onto Theta, and ran.

* * *

900 years later in his linear timeline, Theta had quite dramatically improved his running.

With his daughter in one arm and his TARDIS key clutched in his other hand, he’d already figured out that escape was going to be nigh on impossible. Even as he was running he was wondering, quite seriously, just how he’d got himself into this mess. He was running from the Shadow Proclamation. How had it got that he was running away from the biggest police force in the universe?

Though as per usual, he couldn’t really care less – he was just running straight to the TARDIS to make an escape into the vortex. He was trying not to let the sound of his two-year-old daughter crying dissuade him too much but Leah was clearly terrified and had the best view of the pursuing Judoon. They’d never outrun him, but they knew this place far better than he did, so he and Leah weren't going to make it. He knew that. He just had to think of a quick and ingenious rudimentary escape plan.

They rounded a corner, and almost ran straight into a barrier of Judoon blocking the corridor. He quickly looked back to check the other escape route, but realised they were completely sandwiched.

“Daddy!” Leah yelled, alarmed as the Judoon drew out their guns, demanding he desist.

“Hold on tight!” he yelled in response, ducking down and diving between the Judoon stood in a line and out the other side even faster than they had a chance to realise what happened. Feeling rather pleased with himself, he boosted Leah in his grip and began to run again...

Something sharp suddenly shot into his right thigh, and then something else very quickly hit his side. He'd been hit by the Judoon guns. He stumbled and quickly realised that whatever they were firing was not going to be fatal, but paralysing. But he couldn't stop, he couldn't collapse, he had to get back to the TARDIS first.

Two more shots found their target and his right leg started to seize up, making it hard to run on. He very quickly switched to hopping mode and hopped the last few metres to the TARDIS with Leah bobbing up and down in his left arm, just about throwing himself in the TARDIS in time and slamming the door in the faces of six frustrated Judoon.

He gasped and quickly set Leah down before he collapsed to the floor, grunting. His whole body was seizing up, his leg already completely numb.

“Leah,” he breathed as she dropped down to kneel beside him. “You need to run to the infirmary and get one of the bottles of green liquid in the medicine cabinet and a needle gun. Can you do that for me?”

She nodded silently, getting to her feet and making to rush off to fulfil his request.

“Don't run with the needle gun!” the Doctor quickly yelled as she disappeared out the far door. He moaned and tried to sit up but he was almost completely paralysed now. For a moment he tried to combat the paralysis with circulation by pedalling with his feet in the air and doing windmills with his arms, but after a few seconds they fell to the grating, useless.

He finally resigned to it, just lying there staring up at the ceiling. He didn’t often look at the TARDIS ceiling. It was exactly like the walls. Maybe he needed to redecorate.

It was getting harder to breathe now – his lungs were beginning to seize up. By the time Leah got back he could feel his right heart starting to weaken. She knelt down next to him, putting the items next to her father’s body and kneeling down beside him, staring at him. Her eyes were wide and terrified.

“That was good,” he praised, and she smiled slightly. “Now do you remember what we practised? You need to do it exactly the same on me, right now.”

She bit her lip, lifting the needle gun in both hands and loading it with the green liquid cartridge. It was obviously quite heavy for her but all the same, she lifted it and pressed it against her dad’s neck.

“Up,” – his voicebox was starting to go – “left a bit... Okay, that's good,” he whispered. “Do it.”

She took a shaky high-pitched breath and pulled the trigger. Instantly the paralysis began to recede once more, but it wouldn't be for long. He needed help. Using the railing he got up and gave her a kiss and a hug of congratulations until she was smiling again, hugging him tightly.

“You did so well!” he said, smiling before he pulled back and looked at her seriously. “Now, I'm going to take us to Uncle Jack, and when we get there you need to run out, find him and bring him back to the Tardis, okay? Tell him I’m hurt.”

Leah nodded, still absolutely silent. He pushed himself up and moved to the console to set the coordinates. Leah quickly ran over to hug his leg for support as they landed with the customary jolt, the Doctor wincing.

“Okay, go and find Uncle Jack,” the Doctor said gently, and within seconds she had run off out of the doors.

* * *

Jack didn't even hear the small child running towards him, and as a consequence he jumped about a metre in the air when someone suddenly tugged on his trousers and he spun around to find Leah staring up at him with tears in her eyes.

“Daddy,” she said, pointing in the direction of the TARDIS. “Daddy hurt. Daddy need you, Uncle Jack.”

Jack nodded, already sprinting to the TARDIS. “Martha! Medical kit!” he yelled as he ran past the medical room and straight into the TARDIS. He found the Doctor lying on the floor next to the console, not moving. As he ran over to him Martha came into the TARDIS, clutching a medical kit in one hand.

“What's happened?” she asked.

“I dunno... Doctor?” Jack asked the man on the grating, dropping down beside him. “Can you hear me?”

The Doctor grunted, eyes flickering open slightly to meet Jack. “Para...” he gasped, his brow furrowing. “Para...”

“Paralysis?” Martha asked, taking several medical instruments from the bag. “Okay, that's easy. Just keep breathing,” she said as fixed an oxygen mask to his face. “Your lungs are becoming paralysed.”

“Rose...” he grunted.

“We’ll get her, don’t worry,” Jack told him as Martha filled a syringe.

“Leah,” he gasped next, barely about to speak for lack of breath.

“We’ll look after her,” Jack said.

“But… they…”

“She’s fine. Now shut up and breathe already.”

The Doctor’s only reply to that was to pass out.

“Four shots,” Jack realised, checking him over. “Geez, that’s enough to down a giant.”

“What's going on?” asked a voice from the doorway – Gwen was there with Leah standing next to her, holding her hand and staring at her father.

“Doctor's down,” Jack said quickly. “Can you take Leah out of here? And get Rose back here.”

“No!” the girl suddenly yelled, ripping out of Gwen's arms and running over to her unconscious father's side, dropping to sit cross-legged beside him. “Daddy,” she said quietly, taking his hand and holding it tightly in her own two tiny ones.

Jack quickly realised there was going to be absolutely no reasoning with Rose Tyler's daughter when it came to the Doctor. Instead, he offered her a small smile. “What happened, Leah?”

“Big monsters, rhinos with big guns,” Leah replied shortly. “Daddy ran, but he got shot.”

“Nothing new there, then,” Jack muttered. “Wait, did you say rhinos?”

Leah nodded. “Joodoon.”

“Judoon? What the hell was he doing in the Proclamation?” Jack asked Martha seriously. “He never goes there.”

“Forget it,” Martha told him. “Help me move him.”


	2. Shower Are Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Rose vow to stay away from the Shadow Proclamation before they reaffirm their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut near the end, consider yourself warned!

The Doctor woke up with the mother of all headaches. But as he opened his eyes it seemed to be no brighter than when they were closed. He leaned over on an instinct to where the bedroom lamp usually was, and flicked it on. The bright light was an unwelcome intruder to his vision and he winced and groaned, closing his eyes again before raising a hand to shield them from the impromptu light. His entire body was aching. 

After managing to adjust his eyes to the light he gazed at his surroundings, and confirmed that he was definitely in his and Rose's bedroom. He looked to his right and stretched out an arm, expecting to find his wife sleeping next to him... But the bed was empty. Recently deserted. 

He took the opportunity to check himself over... He wasn't paralysed anymore. He was bandaged where the Judoons' shots had hit him, and for the first time he realised he had an IV going into his arm. He wasn't sure exactly what it was for, but Martha seemed to have a penchant for sticking IVs into him whenever the opportunity arose. Nothing if not thorough.

Suddenly there was the sound of footsteps outside the door and he snapped back out of his thought trail. Even by the sound of the footsteps alone he could tell it was Rose. He’d become used to her sound.

He patiently waited before she quietly opened the door, and peeked inside. Their eyes met and she instantly smiled, shutting the door behind her and quickly moving towards him dressed in only her nightie to engulf him in a hug of relief.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, concerned.

“Fine,” he replied after she’d kissed him.

“Paralysed anywhere?” 

“Nope.”

“Hurting?”

“Not really.”

“Bleeding?”

“Nah.”

“Hungry?”

He raised an eyebrow. “You worry too much.”

Rose stared at him, rolling her eyes. “I think I'm s’posed to worry when I leave you with our two-year-old daughter for a few hours and she comes back yellin' that you've been shot four times. I can't even go shoppin' without you gettin' into a mess!”

She made to laugh, but froze when she saw the Doctor suddenly staring at her, his eyes wide. She stared back, slightly confused. “What?”

“Where's Leah? Is she okay?” he asked, quite obviously panicking as he pushed himself to sit up, pulling off the cover.

“She's fine, she's asleep,” Rose answered quickly, resting a hand on his shoulder to prevent him from getting up. “Why shouldn't she be?”

He ignored the question. “I need to cloak the TARDIS...” He managed to fight her off enough to swing his bare legs over the side of the bed, de-attaching himself from the IV.

“It's already cloaked,” Rose assured him. 

He relaxed slightly, but looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “You...?”

“Well I figured you annoyed someone...” Rose explained with a grin. “Jack said you were in the Shadow Proclamation? Why did you go there?”

“They called me.”

“What did they want?”

“No idea,” he confessed, “didn't stay long enough to find out. I just assumed it was to tell me off. It usually is. I got there, took Leah with me since I thought it might be fun for her, realised pretty quickly that actually it wasn't to tell me off. They started getting very interested in Leah.”

Rose stared at him. “Interested?”

He nodded. “Questions, scanners out.”

“Why?” Rose asked, bewildered.

“Don’t know,” he mused. “I think it was some sort of protection scheme.”

“You’ve lost me.”

He suddenly looked very embarrassed. “... I'm like a panda.”

“... You've got big cute eyes and love bamboo?”

The Doctor gave a half-smile. “I'm an endangered species, in that most of my race is extinct. I'm entitled to protection. I never bothered with it, but since Leah is endangered too they must’ve wanted to register her for protection.”

Rose bit her lip. “But she's safe, yeah?”

The Doctor ran a hand through his hair, brow furrowed. “... Hopefully.”

“What?!” Rose practically shrieked, upright within seconds. The Doctor quickly stood up, grabbing her arm.

“I won't let them touch her, Rose,” he said seriously. “But that doesn't mean they won't be able to find us. They'll probably just forget about it. If we just lie low for a bit it'll all blow over.”

“... Okay,” Rose replied after a moment, calming herself down. “So she's okay.”

“Yes.”

“Good,” she said. “Now have a shower, you stink.”

* * *

He was showering when Rose decided to enter the bathroom, seeing him standing there naked, his hands entangled in his shampoo-lathered hair. It took a few moments until he finally looked up, jumped a little, and stared at her.

“What?” he asked seriously.

In reply she simply pulled off her shirt and jeans and stepped into the shower with him, catching his lips in a kiss. He played along immediately. He grabbed her wrists and pinned her to the wall, pressing up against her so she could feel him through her pants. He was kissing her gently and deeply, purposely moving in a rhythm against her.

He secured both her wrists with one hand, and with the other he reached around to her upper back, expertly flicking apart her bra in one-swift movement. She acknowledged this with a raised eyebrow, looking back at him as water continued to trickle down his naked body. “You've been practisin'.”

He nodded, capturing her lips again as he began to caress her chest, soap suds coursing down her.

“This is why you've been puttin' all my bras on teddies...” she realised and couldn't help but giggle. She then did her duty, focusing her attention on him. He paused only slightly in his kissing to allow his blood to rush down. One day she’d do that without him helping her, she decided.

He then moved his hand down in what she knew was a well-researched plan of action in human sexual encounters from his intensive library research. He worked methodically, pulling down her pants and spending certain periods of time at certain areas of her body, causing her multiple shrieks for a good ten minutes in which words were not exchanged. By the end of it she was struggling to stand upright, gasping. 

“I love you,’ she gasped out impulsively, squirming.

“Shut up,” he grated in a low voice. She blinked slightly in shock at his clipped response, before her mind was quickly taken elsewhere when he continued more work in the area as though following the steps of a practical science lesson, continuing to kiss her. 

His hand came up again, not that Rose particularly wanted that.

“Love you,” she gasped again.

He didn’t answer that. He was obviously calculating, deciding whether to fire the Bunsen burner or not. Clearly he thought it was time. He took hold of her thigh, lifting it in the crook of his arm, holding it as high as it could go. He kicked her other leg gently to force the gap to widen. Physics, of course. She stumbled a little, having to grab onto his arms to steady herself.

“Stay still,” he said in that voice again before he finally guided himself in with his free hand, forcing her to lean back so the water was cascading onto her chest. He held her against the wall with the back of his arm and began to move at a fast pace.

“Slow,” she moaned. 

He ignored her, maintaining his rhythm

“I said slow…”

“Be quiet,” he grated.

“Wait...” she gasped, feeling slightly alarmed, “stop...”

“Shut up,” he growled.

“Please...”

“No,” he rasped, and abruptly began to go harder. Now she was panicking, clinging onto his arm, trying to remove it, but she couldn’t. She tried to yell his name, but quickly found words impossible as all she could do was squeal and shriek, multiple times. 

He didn’t stop for ten minutes, using every modicum of space in her to repeatedly make her shriek until her throat began to hurt. But she was helpless to him. What was wrong with him? Was he assaulting her!? Why wasn’t he slowing down!?

Clearly after a while he decided she’d had long enough and he released, timing himself with her as she shrieked one final time. For a moment he held her to his chest, lingering in her, panting, until he finally pulled out and let her go. The both of them melted to the floor of the shower, utterly spent, but she was quite, quite scared. He hadn’t stopped when she’d asked. He  _ hadn’t stopped… _

He suddenly took her arm, looking at her with a pout. “Was that what you talked about?” he asked, panting.

Rose blinked in surprise at his unexpected words. “Umm... what?” she asked through gasps.

“You said be more controlling,” he replied. “Was that what you wanted?”

Rose stared at him as the penny dropped. She'd been telling him he was being too careful for ages. He’d been obsessed with not hurting her, constantly asking for her permission to do anything. He'd finally changed his variables and made an effort to change his ways. She grinned and breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh God, you were amazin'.”

“Really?” he asked. His eyes were so hopeful. “I thought I was hurting you.”

“I actually thought for a minute you were possessed,” she gasped, collapsing onto him for a hug as she burst into laughter at herself. He laughed at that and held her closer. “Do that more often,” she said.

“Okay,” he replied, the torrent of water still crashing down onto their legs. 

“I love you.”

“Feeling's mutual.”

For a moment they sat together under the water just holding each other, before finally Rose held up her hands, frowning. “I'm gettin' wrinkly.”

“Prune,” he mocked, and she playfully slapped his arm before dragging herself to her feet, the soles still pulsating like electric shooting through. She found a spare towel, wrapping it around herself as the Doctor recommenced his shower. She gave him a farewell wave before slipping out of the door to the bedroom.

And came face to face with Jack.

Instinctively she pulled the towel tighter around her, staring at him with wide eyes. “How long have you been standin' there?”

“Long enough,” he replied, shoving his hands into his pockets as his brow furrowed slightly. “... You all right?”

“Great,” Rose replied, grinning.

“That sounded...”

“It's fine,” she cut over him, persisting with her smile. “What do you want?”

“About tomorrow...” he began, his voice suddenly lowering to a whisper. “Is it still happening?”

She nodded. “He’s fine. Very energetic,” she added as an afterthought.

“So I heard,” Jack mused, and clearly began to imagine something.

Rose sighed, moving to the wardrobe to get a fresh set of clothes.   



	3. Surprise!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor has his birthday, and receives a present from an old foe.

The Doctor woke up with an obligatory yawn and a stretch, cloudy eyes flickering open in the beginnings of a brand new day on the TARDIS. But as he turned to say good morning to his wife, he instantly realised she wasn't next to him. Again.

Still with a foggy mind he got dressed into his blue suit, had a shave, and after a few moments of staring into the bathroom mirror at his chaotic hair he realised he couldn't be bothered to do anything with it, so he just patted it down slightly to little effect.

He went straight to the kitchen, hoping Rose had made tea. But as he reached the room and poked his head in the door, he realised she wasn't there.

Strange. 

He backtracked and went to Leah's room instead, reasoning that Rose was probably getting her up – an unwritten family rule that made it the obligatory duty of the first parent awake. But she wasn't there either, and neither was Leah. The girl's bed was messy, as though abandoned in a hurry...

Panicking slightly now, he jogged to the main living room to check there as well... Nothing. He checked the table for used mugs and plates, but there wasn't any evidence that someone had been in here since last night.

He was comfortably slotted into a full-blown silent panic attack now, his eyes wide as he backed out of the living room into the corridor. Where were Rose and Leah? They were in the vortex, they couldn't just take a walk outside... The Shadow Proclamation? Had they taken them? Where were they?

He forced himself to calm down, forcing his mind to think clearly. This was stupid; illogical. They couldn't get in the TARDIS, and even if they had, the commotion would've woken him up... wouldn't it?

Console room.

He ran down the corridor and burst in, looking around frantically for them. But they weren't there either. He was so caught up in his terror he nearly didn't notice that the TARDIS door was slightly ajar.

But they were in the vortex... That was impossible...

Feeling somewhat apprehensive he shuffled sideways towards the door, body tensed, ready for a fight. His paternal and marriage bond were going crazy, if something had happened to them...

He pulled open the door, and stuck his head out into complete darkness. It was a large enclosed space... the atmosphere suggested Earth... 

He moved forward slightly as he made to dig out his torch from his inside pocket, and ended up walking into something.

“Ow!” he yelped.

“SURPRISE!” several people suddenly yelled in a crescendo as the lights were spontaneously flicked on to dazzling brightness. The Doctor shrieked in surprise and almost fell backwards into the TARDIS. Everyone laughed as his hand clutched his left heart, recovering from the shock, realising where he was as several faces stared back at him.

“Torchwood?” he realised, eyes panning across the grinning crowd stood around him to meet Rose's gaze. “How did we...”

“Don't ruin the magic!” Martha said from the side, laughing. The Doctor stared in confusion as he realised the object he'd walked into was in fact large table that he was sure had never been there before.

“But how...” Then he stopped himself, frowning. “Wait. What surprise?”

“Your birthday, silly!” Rose replied, sighing despairingly. “You're 907 today.”

“I didn't even know that,” the Doctor admitted coyly.

“Sit down!” Suddenly a little hand grabbed his and he looked down just in time to realise Leah was the one holding it before she yanked him with a force quite clearly beyond the capabilities of a little girl towards one of the vacant chairs around the table, everyone else taking up a chair as well.

“Daddy sit here,” she said, pointing at the seat. He obligingly took it. “This special Daddy birthday chair.”

“Thanks,” the Doctor replied as everyone laughed, Leah grabbing onto his knees and struggling to pull herself up, until he grabbed her waist and lifted her to sit in his lap. The girl beamed up at him and commenced sucking her thumb, staring across the table expectantly at Jack.

“Presents!” Jack yelled happily on cue, scrambling down underneath the table and bringing out a menagerie of wrapped presents, placing them on the table in front of the Doctor until there was a massive pile in front of the gaping Time Lord.

“... For me?” the Doctor asked, blinking in surprise.

“No, they're for the Queen,” Jack replied sarcastically as everyone laughed again. “Open them!”

“... But I didn't get you anything,” the Doctor said flatly.

Everyone stared at him. 

“Have you never had a birthday party before?” Martha asked, confused. 

He shook his head. “Not... really.”

“That's depressing,” Ianto muttered, just as a beeping sounded from over by the rolling door and Ianto quickly got to his feet. “Post's arrived!” he said by way of explanation and disappeared like a cartoon coyote. 

“They're all for you, you didn't have to get anythin' for us,” Rose assured him as Ianto left, resting a hand on his arm. “Now open them!”

“Mine first!” Jack insisted.

The Doctor reached forward and took the first present, a square wrapped in TARDIS blue wrapping paper. 

“That's from me,” Martha said quickly.

He pulled open the paper and tugged out a Dido CD. His eyes lit up in joy as a massive smile spread across his face, staring at the CD with utter glee.

“Dido!” he enthused. “I've always wanted this! I...” he suddenly trailed off, catching Rose’s you’re-being-weird gaze, looking at the surrounding crowd with an embarrassed clear of his throat, trying to sound manly. “I mean, thank you Martha,” he said in an unusually deep voice.

“Mine, mine! Open mine!” Jack yelled, picking up a strange small circular present and holding it out.

It was a pair of pink furry handcuffs.

The Doctor stared at them in complete shock as he held them between finger and thumb – Rose turning as red as her namr suggested as everyone else burst into laughter.

“I thought you might want them after yesterday...” Jack said, smiling charismatically.

“Daddy what are they?” Leah asked, looking up at him with a furrowed brow.

The Doctor looked at the handcuffs still between his forefinger and thumb, and then at Jack. “Yeah,  _ Uncle Jack _ ,” he began insincerely. “What  _ are _ they?”

“Cup holders,” Jack replied, smiling innocently.

The Doctor sighed despairingly before Ianto suddenly appeared again, holding a large package in his hands.

“It's for you,” he said to the Doctor, holding it out. The Doctor frowned and took it. How could he possibly have a delivery?

All the same, the Doctor set it down on the table in front of him, pulling open the flaps and reaching in to pull out a card and a badly-wrapped gift. He raised an eyebrow as everyone else stared in confusion, opening the card's envelope and pulling out a shop-bought birthday card with Buzz Lightyear on the front, with the number 9 in fun font crudely followed by 0 and 7 in blue biro pen.

Rose giggled at the card front. “Who's that from?” she asked, peering over his shoulder.

The Doctor could only shrug before he flipped open the card, reading the Gallifreyan writing. By that, he already knew who it was from...

**To the Doctor,**

**Happy 907th** **birthday!**

**These little human greeting cards are hysterical! I got you a present, I hope you like it.**

**From the Master**

“What does it say?” Rose asked, unable to read the Gallifreyan.

“It's from the Master,” the Doctor said quietly.

Instantly everyone around them fell silent, eyes snapping to the still-wrapped present, as if expecting it to explode at any moment. Somewhat hesitantly the Doctor reached forward and picked it up in one hand, retrieving the sonic in the other and giving it a buzz with Leah still snuggling into him. “Seems benign.” He took the chance and pulled open the wrapping paper to reveal a toy wind-up monkey holding a cymbal in each hand.

Everybody looked at the Doctor, who just stared at it with pure intrigue. He wound it up and placed it down on the table in front of him where it madly began to clap.

_ Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!  _

The Doctor blinked. “Unbelievable.”

_ Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!  _

Leah however, suddenly grabbed her father around the middle, clinging on for dear life, burying her head into his jacket as she burst into tears. 

_ Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!  _

The Doctor instinctively put his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he looked down at her quizzically. “What's wrong?”

“Don't like it,” Leah said quietly, sniffing. “Make it stop, Daddy.”

The Doctor looked back at the monkey again. It was still going.

_ Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!  _

It had it all, the crazy eyes, the almost hypnotising factor... Trust the Master to send him a stuffed foot-tall version of himself.

_ Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!  _

The Doctor picked up the monkey and threw it back into the box. It did little to muffle the crashing cymbals.

“Why has he sent you that?” Rose asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“He's letting me know he's still alive and well,” the Doctor replied quietly.

“But he... Is he...” Martha croaked, not even able to finish the sentence.

“He's trying to mess with our heads, it's just his idea of fun,” the Doctor said, but all the same, he held Leah a little closer. 

There was an uneasy pause.

“Ianto, can you clear that up?” Jack asked, indicating the box the monkey was in, still clapping away.

“Yes, sir,” Ianto replied with a nod, picking up the box and disappearing with it around the corner.

The uneasy silence resumed for a moment, before suddenly Jack clapped his hands together excitedly, grin back in place. “Unwrap these, and we'll get out the hypervodkas!”


	4. Seedless Grapefruit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone has a hangover, and the Doctor and Rose discover a new problem.

Rose woke up feeling like somebody had hit her head very hard with a welding mallet.

With a quiet groan she licked her dry lips and turned over, quickly realising she was lying on top of someone in a confined area. She opened her eyes and came face to face with the Doctor, apparently fast asleep beneath her. 

It was then she realised that they were lying in a bath tub, covered by the duvet from their bed. Confused, she gently shook the Doctor until he groaned and eased open his eyes, looking up at her tiredly.

“Hello,” she whispered, trying not to anger her already massive headache. 

“Where are we?” the Doctor asked in a whisper with a furrowed brow.

“Our bathroom, in the tub.”

“Okay,” he replied, as if this was perfectly normal. “... Why?”

“I can't remember,” Rose admitted.

“Okay,” he repeated, before staring at her for a moment. “... I think I'm naked.” 

Rose quickly lifted the duvet, shuffling back to check before reemerging. “You've got your boxers on.”

“Good,” he whispered back, head lulling back as he closed his eyes again.

Then Rose frowned, realising something else as she ducked her head under the covers again. Another pair of feet were sticking out in the opposite direction, and it took some time to realise they didn't belong to either her or the Doctor.

“Oh God,” suddenly came a croak of a man's voice and suddenly Jack's head appeared, his hair an absolute mess. “I think I got everyone  _ very  _ drunk.”

“Jack!” Rose squealed, prompting several groans from the occupants of the bathtub as Jack quickly covered his ears.

“Don't do that,” Jack begged.

“Why are you here?” 

Jack stopped for a moment, frowning. “I can't remember,” he admitted.

“Get the hell out of our bathtub, Jack.”

“Nice hosts,” Jack commented sarcastically before grunting and getting out from under the duvet to full height. It was at that point Rose realised he was  _ completely  _ naked. Jack and the Doctor groaned again in unison at the next high-pitched squeal of surprise and disgust that came from Rose.

“Woz goin' on?” the Doctor slurred, blinking and attempting to sit up. Rose quickly covered his eyes. “Rose? What...”

“You'll thank me later,” Rose assured him, staring adamantly at Jack's face before he got the message and clambered out of the bathtub. 

He looked at her and grinned. “Oh come on, you love it.”

“GET OUT!” Rose squealed again to more groans. When all of Jack had finally left the room she got out of the bathtub and grabbed the Doctor, hauling him up with difficulty. He moaned and groaned his way to a vertical existence, leaning on her for support.

“I don't feel very well,” he admitted.

“It's called a hangover,” Rose informed him, pulling him into their bedroom and sitting him down on the bed, while she went to retrieve some clothes. When she had finished dressing he was sat in the same position, hunched over with his head in his hands. She grabbed him again and pulled him to his feet once more, where he swayed slightly, blinking erratically.

Rose frowned, taking her husband's arm to try and steady him on his feet. Even without looking at him she could feel through the bond just how bad he felt. To compensate she kissed him in a peck on the lips as she pulled one of his shirts on him, not even bothering to do the buttons up, followed by a pair of trousers, like dressing a very large and lanky doll. When he didn't react even to that, she simply took his hand and pulled him to the door.

She led him to the kitchen in pursuit of Jack, having to stop the Doctor from walking into several walls on the way. They finally reached their intended destination, seeing Jack sitting at the table thankfully clothed, with Mickey making coffee – evidently as hungover as everyone else. He saw the Doctor and frowned questioningly at Rose, who just grinned and mouthed 'hangover', to which Mickey smiled and continued with the coffee.

“C'mon,” Rose encouraged the Doctor, who was looking more and more pale by the second. “Get some food and coffee down you.”

He nodded absently as Rose let go of him to pull back a chair from the table. But just she turned back she felt a strange shudder through the bond and the Doctor suddenly groaned and dived for the sink, where he promptly began to throw up. 

Jack and Mickey just stared in slight apprehension as Rose rushed to his side, supporting him with her arms around his chest. He grunted and looked at her with red-rimmed eyes, his complexion almost completely white.

“Rose,” he croaked. “I don't feel very well.”

She rubbed his back comfortingly. “I know,” she said gently. “D'you want to go to the infirmary?”

He nodded silently, just before his eyes rolled back into his skull and he fainted clean away into a puddle of limbs on the floor.

* * *

“He doesn't take a hangover well,” Jack commented as he placed the unconscious Doctor carefully on the scanner bed as per Rose's instructions. 

Rose didn't comment as the scanner lid closed and she commenced the program. The familiar red laser lines began to move up and down the Doctor's body, building his internal systems in an image on the screen in 3D form.

“What's that doin'?” Mickey asked, staring at the scanner with interest.

“Diagnostics,” Rose replied, fiddling nervously with her fingers. “He could've been internally injured from those shots or somethin' and we didn't pick it up...”

Jack caught the panic in her tone. “Hey, don't worry. I'm sure whatever it is he'll be fine after a few day’s bed rest.”

Rose considered this for a moment before spreading a smile and snickering at the thought. “Just a matter of keeping him there,” she said, and moments later the scanner pinged. She looked at the results.

**Diagnosis: Venusian Flu**

Rose's jaw dropped.

Jack glanced between her shocked face and the Doctor lying on the scanner bed, instantly worried. “What's it say?”

Rose looked up at him with wide eyes, having to swallow to try and moisten her now completely dry throat, before she looked back down at herself and placed a tentative hand to her belly. “I... I'm pregnant.”

Jack instantly moved forward to hug her comfortingly as Mickey frowned, stepping forward to look at the scanner's diagnosis. “Him having Venusian flu means you're pregnant?”

“He hasn't got Venusian flu,” Jack answered for Rose. “Last time when Rose was pregnant he got very ill because he gets the exacerbated symptoms of pregnancy through their bond, and the scanner says he has Venusian flu because the symptoms are similar, even though he's immune to it.”

“Oh,” Mickey realised, before he looked at Rose still staring at her belly in absolute horror. “Is this a bad thing, then?”

Rose could only shrug. “Well... no... but... sort of... Well, I dunno, but... I can't be pregnant... I just can't. It's impossible.”

“Why's it so impossible?” Jack asked, frowning.

Mickey looked at him. “You don't know?”

“Know what?”

Suddenly the atmosphere was very awkward. Rose pulled a face, realising as she stared at Jack's expression there was no side-stepping this. “Because, well, he keeps sieving condoms and my pills barely work... And after last time he's not ready to have another child yet so we decided...” Rose swallowed, suddenly very conscious of how much of their personal life she was revealing. “We decided a few months ago to... umm...” She gestured two fingers in the motion of a pair of scissors snipping together.

It took a Jack a few moments to get it. Then his eyes widened.

“You mean he's...” He pointed at the Doctor with his jaw agape. “He... He had the...”

Rose nodded quickly.

“Martha did it,” Mickey said.

“What? When?”

“A couple of months ago.” Mickey looked at Jack's expression. “You didn't notice him limping?”

“He told me he pulled a muscle...”

Mickey laughed. 

Jack looked a little deflated. “Why didn't he tell me? He tells me stuff.”

“Well, he probably wouldn't have told me if I didn't walk in on it,” Mickey confessed.

“Bet that was awkward,” Jack mused.

“It was a bit difficult to miss.”

“Is it big?” Jack wondered.

“Excuse me,” Rose suddenly interrupted, hand in the air. “Can we stop talkin’ about this and get him to a bed?”

“Yeah, sorry,” Jack said with a massive grin on his face as he moved to the scanner and picked up the Doctor, relocating him to a bed just as he began to stir. 

Rose quickly pulled up a chair next to the bed, resting a hand on his hot forehead as he blinked open his eyes. It took a few moments until they came to rest on Rose, who smiled encouragingly at him.

“What happened?” he murmured.

“You fainted,” Rose replied gently.

“Did you scan?” 

Rose nodded silently, wondering how she was going to put it to him. 

“What did it diagnose?” he persisted, still groggy.

Rose swallowed, glancing at Mickey and Jack still standing in the room before she looked back at the Doctor's enquiring eyes. “... Venusian flu,” she whispered.

“But we haven't even been to Venus,” the Doctor replied tiredly. There was a brief moment of silence. He looked at Rose, who was biting her lip nervously. “What?” he asked.

“Venusian flu,” Rose repeated slowly and clearly.

“I know, but...” he began, but then he suddenly froze as the penny dropped with a nasty clatter. His eyes flickered to meet Rose's and he stared at her in absolute horror, completely unblinking... “You mean...” he started with a croak, raising a hand slowly to point at her belly.

Rose nodded.

“You're actually...”

Another nod.

“After that...”

Nod.

“With a baby?!” he practically squeaked.

Nod.

He was fully awake now, sitting up straight in the bed. “Oh no,” he breathed, hands running through his hair as he instinctively did in a situation of high stress.

“What do we do?” Rose asked with a very dry throat.

“I don't know,” the Doctor admitted. “Abort it?”

Rose frowned. “Can we do that?”

“It's up to you...”

“No, it's up to you,” Rose corrected. “If you're not ready...”

“Oh no,” he said again, still grabbing at his hair. He looked at Jack and Mickey, obviously conscious of their presence. “I can't… Look, I can't think about this now.”

Rose nodded and kissed him gently. “I get it, it’s fine,” she said. “You just get to feelin' a bit better first, yeah? What d’you need?”

His hands were still dragging through his hair. Rose quickly took his wrists and held them firmly in each hand before staring straight at him, drawing his attention. “Doctor, what do you need to make you feel better?”

“Umm, the green medicine from the cabinet and lots of fruits,” he said quickly. 

“Jack, Mickey, can you get him some fruit to eat?” Rose asked the two still hovering in the doorway.

“Sure,” Jack said with a nod, before a sly smile crept onto his face. “And this fruit... that'll be seedless, I take it?” he asked, before his rapidly twisting face finally exploded into laughter, Mickey with him as they both swept out the door giggling like 12-year-olds. 

Rose turned a bright, bright red as the Doctor looked at her, eyes even wider than before. When she couldn't even find the words to say, she resigned and let go of his wrists so he could resume running his hands through his hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've not read the previous, the Doctor and Rose are a bit edgy about having another baby as in Destiny the Doctor became very, very sick and in agony due to it (see the last few chapters of Destiny).


	5. Mr Dinosaur and Mr Bunny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Rose discuss the possibility of abortion.

Five hours later Rose set two cups of tea down on the kitchen table before taking a seat opposite the Doctor, staring at him staring at her.

For a moment, neither of them spoke, just gazing as if they were trying to read each other's thoughts. When that didn't work, they simultaneously took a sip of tea, set it down, and stared at each other again.

“Does this mean we can never have sex again?” Rose wondered vaguely, breaking the silence. “I mean, how did this happen?”

“I must've healed quicker than I thought I would,” the Doctor muttered, running a hand through his hair before cupping his chin. “Maybe it's every two months, not every four months.”

They both fell silent again, and took another sip of tea.

“So,” Rose broke the silence for a second time, but didn't seem to be able to find another word to put in that sentence. But it was okay, because the Doctor clearly didn't know what to say either.

“... Do you fancy some biscuits?” he suddenly asked after a moment, jumping to his feet. “I'd quite like some Hobnobs. Do you want some? I think Hobnobs would be ideal. I'll just go get some Hobnobs. I don't think we've got any. Better run out to Tescos. See you in two hours,” he gabbled, and made for the door. 

Rose quickly grabbed his arm, staring at him. “Doctor,” she said firmly.

The Doctor sighed, and dropped back down into the chair.

“I'll support you whatever you want, you know that, yeah?” she said gently.

The Doctor blinked and looked up at her, seeming a little bit lost. “I... I don't know. … Do you want it?” Rose opened her mouth instantly but he quickly held up a hand. “Please, just tell me the truth. Do you want it or not?”

Rose's eyes disconnected from his. “Yeah.”

“So do I,” the Doctor admitted in a croak. “But...”

“I know,” she said.

There was a brief moment of silence between them.

“Doctor, brain update?” she asked, reaching up to cup his cheek.

His hand clamped to hers, running his thumb over her fingers before he worked up the resilience to speak.

“... The last time...” he began almost reluctantly, swallowing. “It hurt so much. I've... never felt anything like it. I thought I was going to die. I  _ wanted _ to die. I hated everything about it, I hated myself, I hated you, and for a while I hated Leah. I know it's been two years and Leah is so beautiful. I'm not saying she wasn't worth it because she is worth every  _ second _ of what I went through, but... I'm not sure I can go through that again right now. I know eventually we will but I don't think I can take it again at the moment. Not even in nine months.”

“... So we abort,” Rose said quietly in reply.

“If you want...”

“Doctor, be quiet. It's not up to me.”

“But...”

“You think I didn't hate myself for just sittin' there watchin' you scream in agony for somethin' that I should've had?” Rose suddenly said in a clipped tone, almost angrily. “I felt guilty, I still do. I was just sat there and you were cryin' and screamin' and...” She paused, trying to stop the tears she could feel coming so she could continue but she ended up sinking into silence, wiping at her eyes.

“... Throwing things at Jack?” the Doctor suggested helpfully.

Rose looked at him through wet eyes and after a moment burst out laughing, still wiping at her unfallen tears, but now it was with a smile. 

The Doctor grinned back. “So we're aborting it...?”

Rose nodded.

He just leaned forward, cupped her face in his hands and kissed her softly on the lips. 

“You want to do it now or later?” he asked in a whisper with their foreheads pressed together.

“Now,” she replied without a hint of hesitation. He just nodded and took her hand, pulling her onto her feet to take her out of the door. As they moved into the corridor they met Martha coming in the opposite direction with Leah by her side, quickly stopping at the sight of them.

“Daddy, Mummy,” Leah said happily and moved forward to hug her father's leg.

“Hello, you,” the Doctor said just as happily, dropping down to hug her. “Did you have fun at Auntie Gwen's last night?”

Leah nodded, still holding him tightly. He caught Martha's expression.

“Are you...?” she began, obviously far too polite to finish the sentence.

“We're gonna abort it,” Rose told her.

Martha nodded, looking between them. “Do you want me to...?”

The Doctor shook his head, pulling away from Leah and stroking her hair, getting to his feet. “No, I will. Thank you.”

“'What abort?” Leah suddenly asked, looking at her parents enquiringly. 

The Doctor grimaced, scratching the back of his head. “It's... umm... let me get back to you on that, okay? Go with Martha, then I'll come and play whatever game you want in a bit.”

Leah nodded and obediently ran back to Martha, who nodded to the Doctor and Rose. “See you later. Good luck.”

* * *

“You're at six weeks,” the Doctor concluded after the scan. “So we can abort with pills. It'll just be like a heavy period. I might feel something through the paternal bond, but at this stage it's not going to be that bad.”

Rose nodded, sitting up on the scanner bed. “Ready when you are.”

He stared at her for a moment, glancing down at her belly where the new life was before he cleared his throat as if embarrassed, straightened and pointed vaguely at the nearby storage closet. “I'll just erm... go get them,” he said, and left.

Rose stared after him for a moment. She knew that they had decided this together, talked about it, shared their concerns, and overall it was an informed decision with the hell they had both gone through last time. But somehow it still felt... strange. Wrong. Unfair.

He returned a few moments later with the medication and a glass of water in hand. He sat down on the scanner bed next to her, and popped out one pill from a pack.

“Do I even wanna know why you have abortion pills on the Tardis?” Rose wondered with a tentative grin, taking the pill out of his hand.

“I don't even know,” he confessed, handing her the glass of water. “Okay, take this one now and I'll give you another in 48 hours.”

Rose nodded, lifting the pill to her lips...

“Wait!” the Doctor suddenly said quickly, and she froze in mid-movement, staring at him. He made as if to say something, but then sagged his shoulders. “No, never mind, carry on,” he said, gesturing redundantly.

Rose lifted the pill again.

“No!” the Doctor yelled again, hands in the air. There was a pause before he sagged again. “No, okay, right, just do it.” 

She lifted the pill for the third time.

“Stop!” 

Rose sighed and dropped her hand to her lap. “Doctor.”

He swallowed, looking between her face and the pill. “Okay, right, I'm sorry. In it goes. Down the hatch.”

It hadn't even got halfway to her mouth this time before his hands flew out and grabbed her arms.

“Doctor!” she exclaimed. 

“Rose, I'm sorry,” he muttered, and didn't let go.

“It's okay,” Rose replied gently. “But I thought we decided?”

He nodded. “I know, it's just...” he sighed and let go of her arms, running a hand down his face. “... I can't do this.”

She considered him for a moment, before leaning forward and kissing him. “Do you want me to take this pill or not?”

“... No,” he muttered.

Silently she held out the pill and dropped it into his palm. He sighed and took it back.

“Are you sure?” Rose asked.

“Yep.”

“So we're havin' another baby.”

“Yep.”

Rose kissed him again before setting down the glass of water and wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. “Here we go again,” she said quietly.

He didn't answer verbally, and merely held her tightly in return.

* * *

“You will never get your special ball back, Mr Bunny!” the dinosaur hand-puppet roared, guarding the spotty orange ball behind him. 

“Give it back, Mr Dinosaur!” the bunny hand-puppet squeaked in reply.

“Muahaha! It's mine now! Forever!”

“Then I will have to nibble you to death!” the bunny hand-puppet declared, and launched an attack.

“Roar, roar, roar! Eek! Eek! Eek!” the dinosaur and bunny yelled in turn as they fought, until finally they broke apart and the dinosaur coughed and collapsed.

“Yaaaay!” Mr Bunny squeaked, bobbing over to retrieve his ball, before turning to its one-person audience. “Remember, Leah,” Mr Bunny squeaked. “Never steal anyone's special ball, and never fight a bunny! We're lethal!”

Leah giggled and clapped appreciatively as Mr Dinosaur jumped upright and took a bow with Mr Bunny.

“Doctor...” a voice suddenly said as the door opened, and Rose appeared. She took in the sight before her, toys absolutely strewn everywhere with Leah's bed pushed away from the side, two hand-puppets poking out from behind the side. Both hand-puppets turned to her, inquisitive.

She blinked, and then began again, “it's Leah's bedtime.”

“No!” Mr Bunny squeaked. “We want to stay up late and play, don't we, Leah?”

Leah burst into giggles again and nodded enthusiastically.

“Please Mummy, let us stay up!” Mr Dinosaur grunted.

“Daddy, seriously,” Rose began, grinning, “put down the puppets and put Leah to bed.”

“Oh, all right then,” the Doctor conceded, popping up from behind the bed. 

Rose stared at him. “What have you done to your face?” she asked.

“We played make up Daddy,” he replied innocently.

“... Okay,” Rose eventually replied, looking between her husband and her daughter. “Well it's bedtime.”

“Don't wanna go bed!” Leah protested as the Doctor picked her up and set her on the bed, pulling out her pyjamas from the drawer as Rose started gathering up the scattered toys.

“If you don't go to bed, the night monster will get you, y'know,” the Doctor said sternly, pulling on her pyjama top.

Leah stared at him, with large round eyes. “Night monster?”

The Doctor nodded. “It's huge, hairy and black, with really sharp and pointy claws as big as your head.”

Leah swallowed nervously. “Daddy!” she wailed, and burst into tears.

“Hey, I'm joking!” the Doctor said, laughing as he finished dressing her and took her into a hug. “The night monster's not real.”

She looked up at him and sniffed. “Are you sure?”

He nodded. “But if you don't go to sleep Mummy will get pretty mad, and I think that's probably worse than the night monster,” he said, kissing her forehead. “Now go brush your teeth.”

She nodded, jumping off and rushing past him into the adjoining bathroom. He turned back to Rose, and helped her tidy up. 

“Can you be a bit more forceful?” Rose asked suddenly. “I feel like I'm the evil parent ruining her fun.”

He grinned and placed Bundy the teddy bear on the bed ready for Leah. “But the Mum's supposed to be the parent that saves up for college and worries about school and makes lots of rules, and the Dad's supposed to be the cool one that breaks them all and becomes really overbearing when she's a teenager and interrogates her boyfriends.”

“Have you been watchin’ more American sitcoms?” Rose wondered.

“Maybe,” the Doctor muttered. “But if you've got a better resource for being a parent I would love to hear it. Because I have no idea what I'm doing.”

Rose had to concede. “Yeah, neither do I.”

“Mummy! Daddy!” Leah yelled, running into the bedroom with toothpaste smeared all around her mouth. “I brushed it all!”

“Including your face!” the Doctor said, sounding impressed. He moved forward and scooped her up taking her back to the bathroom again as Rose continued to gather up toys.

When they got back the room was tidy, the lights were dimmed, and Rose was just folding up a blanket. The Doctor took Leah over to the bed, tucking her up and putting Bundy in her arms. 

“Daddy, Mummy,” Leah began as Rose took a seat on the bed beside the Doctor, stroking Leah's hair.

“Yeah?”

“When will I see Gan again?”

“Your gran?” Rose repeated. “Well, um...”

“She's away,” the Doctor said quickly. “But she contacts us as often as she can.”

“Is that why she always on Tardy screen?”

He nodded.

“When she coming back?” 

Rose looked at the Doctor, before looking back at Leah. “We don't know, Leah.”

“Okay.” She sniffed. “Please don't go away.”

The Doctor smiled. “We will never go away.”

“Yeah, we'll be here forever,” Rose said.

“Now go to sleep,” the Doctor said, leaning forward to kiss her forehead, as did Rose.

“Night night,” Leah replied, closing her eyes.

The Doctor and Rose slipped out the door together, pulling it shut behind them. Rose took the Doctor's hand and led him down the corridor, making sure they were out of range before she pulled him back to face her.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

He smiled back. “Fine. Why wouldn't I be?”

“You've been playing with Leah all day, you've barely talked to me.”

He shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. “Just wanted to spend some time with her.”

Rose stared at him, hands on hips. 

Instantly he realised they were bonded, and had to concede. “Okay, she just took my mind off of...” He gestured to her belly.

She rested a hand on her belly, before looking back up at him, frowning. “... You don't want this, do you?”

“No, I do,” he said quickly. “I just... Don't want to have to think about it right now.”

Rose looked at him for a moment, before taking his hand again and pulling him into their bedroom.

“Go clean up,” she said, pointing to the bathroom. “She's made a complete paint mess on your face and it's not very attractive.”

The Doctor grinned, stroking his face and staring at the red facepaint that came off on his fingers. “Is it that bad?”

“She's made a right Jackson Pollock out of it.”

“Ah,” he replied, and quickly disappeared into the bathroom.    



	6. The Sex Button

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deciding to keep the baby, the Doctor and Rose go to stock up on medicine, but the Shadow Proclamation aren't far away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Containing a reference to a part of Time Lord biology that perhaps the BBC couldn't weave into a story :P

A few days had passed, and they had left Torchwood to be in flight through the vortex again.

Rose was putting Leah to bed and the Doctor was in the midst of repairing the not-actually-broken TARDIS, as he so frequently did. He knew that Rose had figured long ago that nothing was ever actually  _ wrong  _ with the TARDIS, he just liked pretending there was. He liked taking parts out and replacing them with other parts that made no sense to put there, and after getting several electric shocks he always put things back to how they were before.

She called it pointless. He called it experimentation.

After receiving his third major electric shock of the night, the Doctor heard the console begin to beep a frenzy of alerts. Spasming slightly, he climbed out from under the console and checked the TARDIS screen... And Jackie appeared.

“Jackie!” the Doctor exclaimed, beaming before he turned to the corridor and began to yell for Rose.

“ _ Doctor...”  _ Jackie began, sounding a little nervous. But the Doctor seemed to miss her demeanour completely as he turned back to her, a big grin in place.

“We've got some news,” he began eagerly. “Well, good news. I hope it's good for you. Me and Rose, we're having... Well actually, I'll let Rose tell you...”

“ _ Doctor,”  _ Jackie repeated again, losing no trace of her tone from before. 

The Doctor finally registered her. “What? Something the matter?”

“ _ Can I ask you somethin'?” _

The Doctor blinked, completely thrown. “Um, okay?”

“ _ Is there anyway I can... Come back to your Universe?” _

The Doctor stared at her, taking in her tone of voice, her body language, her facial expression. “Jackie, is something wrong?”

“ _ No, it's just... Well, can I?” _

“Opening the breech would cause the two universes to collapse, Jackie.”

“ _ Oh,” _ Jackie replied quietly. 

There was a long pause.

The Doctor frowned. This wasn't like her at all. “Are you sure you're all right, Jackie?” he asked, unsure.

Suddenly she burst into tears. 

The Doctor swallowed nervously, feeling a mild pang of horror at the prospect of having to deal with a crying mother-in-law, but thankfully he didn't have to handle it as there came the familiar clang of Rose's footsteps on the metal grating. 

As the Doctor turned to her she stopped dead, staring at the monitor. “Mum?”

“ _ Love!”  _ Jackie exclaimed, quickly wiping at her eyes, but only succeeded in smudging her make up. “ _ How are you? You have some news?” _

Rose ignored the question. “Mum, what's wrong?”

“ _ Nothin's wrong, sweetheart...” _

“Mum,” Rose said sternly.

Jackie swallowed nervously, but the connection was already beginning to wane, the screen crackling...

“We're losing it!” the Doctor yelled, jumping instantly into action, diving and jumping around the console hammering all manner of buttons. “I'll try and keep us connected!”

“Mum!” Rose repeated urgently, jumping out the way of her partner as he continued to dance around the console. “Is somethin' wrong? Please tell me.”

But the connection cut off. The Doctor grunted in agitation and turned back to Rose, scratching the back of his head.

“Sorry, I couldn't hold it,” he said.

“It's okay,” she said, offering a small smile, but it was dwarfed by the frown that followed. “What was that about?”

The Doctor shrugged, but could sense her trepidation and he instantly moved in to hug her.

“Probably nothing to worry about,” he said, rubbing her back before pulling away from her, hands still on her arms. 

She continued with her frown for a moment before finally nodding, albeit a little distractedly. “Yeah,” she muttered. “Probably just fell out with Dad. She blows things out of proportion. They'll make it up in the mornin'.”

The Doctor grinned at her. “We didn't get a chance to tell her about the...”

“I know,” Rose interrupted smoothly, sighing. He held her a little longer, before she suddenly looked up at him, frowning. “Did you take your medication?”

The Doctor blinked. “Umm...” He pondered for a moment. “... No.”

She sighed with dismay, taking his arm and dragging him straight to the Infirmary. 

* * *

“Leah missed Jackie,” the Doctor suddenly realised, looking up at Rose rummaging through the cupboard. 

“How long has it been since she saw her?” Rose wondered, moving back to him with it in hand.

He mused for a moment. “About eight months.”

She took a seat next to him on the bed, fixing the green liquid tube into the needle gun as the Doctor pulled down his sleeve to offer her his arm. 

“I think she's missing out, you know?” she said. “When I was a kid my grandparents used to give me loads of stuff. I loved my gran. And my Mum’s all Leah's got. By the way, we're nearly out of this green stuff.”

He nodded as she rested the nozzle of the needle gun against his arm, finger on the trigger. “We'll get some more, tomorrow. You know, just before you came in... Jackie asked me to bring her back to this universe.”

Rose's head snapped up to stare at him, her finger accidentally pulling on the trigger. “What?!”

“Ow!”

“Sorry. What?”

“She asked me to bring her back to this universe,” he repeated, rubbing his arm.

“What did you say to that?” Rose asked anxiously.

The Doctor stared at her. “You  _ know _ what I said.”

“Oh God,” Rose muttered, suddenly panicking. “Something bad's happened. She wants to come back?! Is she okay?! Do you think she's dyin'?!”

“Rose,” the Doctor said quickly, holding her shoulders and staring into her eyes. “If it was life or death, she would've probably somehow found a way to slap me and scream at me till I got her back here long before now. She's not dying, okay? I'll see what I can do to bring people through when another gap opens up, but even then I can't guarantee anything. Is that okay?”

Rose looked at him for a moment, before finally nodding. “Yeah. I know. I'm sorry.”

“Hey,” he said, smiling and kissing her gently. “Nothing to be sorry for.”

She hugged him tightly, and suddenly he seemed to shiver in her grip. She frowned and pulled back.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes,” he replied instantly, quickly moving back from her to pull back on his shirt.

“Doctor...” Rose began, reaching up to cup his face. “If you're still sick...”

“I'm fine,” the Doctor said quickly, wrenching Rose's hand off of his cheek, but his breathing seemed to be getting louder.

Then Rose realised why. “Bloody hell!” she exclaimed, looking down at his trousers. “What hell did I do?”

The Doctor looked at her with a winded expression, trying to cover himself but failing, miserably. 

“Was it the hug?” Rose asked, moving forward to hold him a second time. Her hand brushed against a point between his shoulder blades and he shivered again. “Oh my god, what is that?”

“Okay, okay,” he wheezed. “It's my... erogenous zone.”

“What?” Rose blinked, jabbing a finger into his back again in experimentation. He yelped and growled a carnal growl, instinctively pressing himself up even more against her.

“ _ Please _ stop doing that,” the Doctor grated.

“That's so weird,” Rose muttered, and jabbed it again. 

He yelped once more. “What, you've got a clitoris, can't I have one too?”

“But it's in your  _ back!”  _ Rose said in disbelief. “That's so... alien! Why didn't you tell me?”

“Because I knew you'd do this!” he almost shouted in reply, throwing off his shirt completely and already reaching down to his trousers. 

“Doctor,” Rose said quickly, grabbing his hands to prevent him pulling down his trousers. “I'm really not in the mood.”

“Rose,” he gasped, almost pleading. “I need you...”

Rose stared at the heap of erotic mess she'd just created, and realised that it was pretty much her responsibility to clean up. “All right,” she conceded. “Bedroom.”

* * *

“It's the mole between your shoulder blades, isn't it?” Rose realised a while later as they lay naked in bed together, wrapped in each other's arms. “It's right there...”

“Can you please stop talking about it?” the Doctor asked, a little irate.

“Fine,” Rose muttered. “Sorry.”

Pause.

“And don't even think about it,” the Doctor cut through in the silence.

“Fine,” Rose repeated, and turned over to wrap her arm around him.

Pause.

“But...”

“You have loads of erogenous zones!” the Doctor protested. 

“But that's just weird!”

“I'm sorry, I'm an alien, nice to meet you and your perfect human g-spots,” he replied sarcastically.

“Oh, I'm sorry,” she said, kissing him gently. “Do you have any more?” He gave her a look. She sighed. “Look, I wanna know you, every bit of you, every freckle, every scar, every mole, every g-spot... Like there,” she said, sitting up and pointing to his abdomen, where a mark denoted he'd obviously had an appendectomy. “When did you have appendicitis?”

“Just before I met Martha,” he said. “Kinda gave me the idea to admit myself to hospital with it.”

“Oh,” she said, running her finger over it. Then she noticed something else. “What about these?”

“Hmm?”

Rose pointed at some thin white lines on his skin, running all over him. She hadn't noticed them before, they were extremely faint, but very much there. 

“Ah, just skin pigmentation. It happens sometimes with regeneration. Nothing's perfect.”

She smiled and kissed him again. “You're perfect.”

“Thanks,” he replied, grinning.

* * *

The TARDIS landed with a thump on a brand new planet. The Doctor winced at the jolt, hoping it hadn't woken up Leah. 

“Is it okay to leave her here?” Rose wondered anxiously.

“The Tardis'll look after her,” the Doctor replied. “We'll only be about ten minutes. Let her sleep.”

Rose nodded, taking his hand as he led her to the door, making sure it was fully closed and locked behind them. They walked, emerging from a small alley into an extremely busy alien marketplace where a menagerie of lifeforms were milling around looking at goods on stalls. 

The Doctor took Rose straight down another alley, seemingly knowing exactly where he was going. They turned into a less-busy side street, and then down another alleyway until they reached a ramshackled shop with a large hand drawn green moon on a rotting board outside.

The Doctor made to go into it, but Rose quickly stopped him. “Err...”

“I know,” the Doctor replied, but he had what Rose dubbed his 'trust-me-I'm-saving-the-world' face on. “Appearances can be deceptive.”

They entered the shop, and it was a complete tip. Boxes and boxes were stacked on top of one another, some medicine packs having fallen out and been crushed on the floor. Lights were hanging down and flickering ineffectively from the ceiling, not to mention the roof had several holes in it. 

Rose did her best to dodge the mess as the Doctor pulled her to the service desk, and whacked the old-style bell with his palm.

“Doctor...” Rose whispered urgently, looking at the ceiling and completely convinced it was about to fall and crush them at any moment.

“It's fine, really,” the Doctor replied. “So it doesn't look the part, but...”

“Heeeey, Doctor!” a new voice greeted, and a tall blue man entered, wiping something suspicious from his hands onto a towel. “Is good seeing you, ya?”

“Hey Rozzo,” the Doctor greeted happily, beaming. “How have you been?”

“I good, ya!” the strange blue man replied with a heavy accent. “De wife, not so good. She big with three babies, ya? She eat, she sleep, she try to punch Rozzo’s head in! You know!” he laughed loudly before his eyes flickered to Rose, and his smile widened. “Oh, pretty lady! Is human ya?”

Rose nodded, seemingly impossibly liking this strange blue man. “Yeah, I'm from Earth.”

“She's my partner,” the Doctor said, smiling.

“Ahh!” Rozzo said, smiling. “How ugly man like Doctor get such pretty lady?” he laughed infectiously. “No, I is happy for you, Doctor! You make pretty babies with pretty wife!”

“Thanks,” the Doctor grinned.

“What is you want, Doctor?”

“I'll have three bottles of your special, please.”

“Is good stuff, ya?” he said, reaching down behind the desk and bringing out three bottles of the green liquid.

“How much?” 

“Is free for pretty lady!” Rozzo said happily.

The Doctor looked aghast. “I can't do that.”

Rozzo laughed his infectious laugh again. Even Rose found herself giggling. “No worry, Doctor. Is free, please take as gift!”

The Doctor found the bottles practically shoved into his arms. “Oh all right,” he muttered, shoving them in his expansive pockets.

“Ah, you no pay anyway,” Rozzo murmured. “You still owe Rozzo from card game, ya?”

“Yeah,” the Doctor muttered, glancing at Rose and nervously scratching the back of his head. “I'll get back to you on that.”

Rozzo laughed again. “Other day I meet nice human man that know you.”

“Oh, really? Who?”

“Is human, we had great sex, ya?”

The Doctor frowned. “Was his name Jack Harkness by any chance?”

“Ya,” Rozzo said after a moment's thought. 

“Bloody hell,” Rose muttered. “Is there no one left in the Universe Jack hasn't had sex with?”

“You and me?” the Doctor asked.

“And my Mum.”

“Give him five minutes with her.” 

Rose snorted with laughter as the Doctor turned back to Rozzo.

“Right, well, thank you,” the Doctor said, beaming. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, Doctor!” Rozzo said happily as they left onto the street.

“Well, that was weird,” Rose muttered.

The Doctor beamed, just as Rose reached up to the hot-spot between his shoulder blades, subtly rubbing her fingers in a circle on it. The Time Lord stumbled a halt, his face turning to complete shock. He quickly spun around and grabbed Rose's arm, very quickly finding a secluded area and pushing her up against the wall to snog her.

“This...” he began between kisses. “... Is why...” Kiss. “... I didn't...” Kiss. “... Tell you.” Kiss.

“Is this...” Kiss. “... Legal?” Rose wondered.

“Don't know, don't care,” he replied, pulling down her v-neck shirt.

“Doctor,” she urged, unable to stop giggling as she grabbed his shoulders and pushed him forcefully away.

“Rose?!” he squeaked, looking incredibly disappointed.

“You do realise what this means, yeah?”

“What?”

“You have a sex button.”

“I do not,” the Doctor replied instantly. Rose placed a foot in his stomach gently and pushed him away even further.

“Rose!” he wailed.

“Seriously, we need to get back to the Tardis,” she said. 

“Yes,” he said quickly. “Good thinking. There's a bed.”

Rose sighed. “And our two-year-old daughter is there on her own.”

“... Right,” the Doctor said, obviously having temporarily forgotten that in the moment. He took her hand and urgently pulled her back through the streets, and into the side alley where they had left the TARDIS.

But she wasn't there. She had completely vanished.

“What?!” Rose gasped.

“Leah!” the Doctor yelled, spinning around just in time to see a metal pole to impact with his head.


	7. The Doctor's Biggest Fan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor wakes up in a police cell, discovering just how the Shadow Proclamation have apprehended him.

The Doctor slowly rose to awareness, struggling to establish a level of focus through his painful, pulsating head. He could feel himself lying on a wet floor, his hands restrained, and people talking from somewhere near him...

“Yes, we have the prisoner secured. We found him robbing our local market and trying to rape the abducted Earth woman,” a voice said. There was a pause. “There was no child, but we also have seized the Tardis and she may be inside...”

The Doctor frowned, forcing his agonising head up from where he lay. Everything was a complete blur, but he could just make out a few of the planet's native species milling around behind bars.

No, wait,  _ he _ was the one behind bars. These were policemen. He'd been arrested? 

“The woman appears to have undergone some mind trick, she is still insisting that he is the Doctor...” the voice continued.

“Excuse me,” the Doctor began, still blinking to try and get focus. “What...?”

“You just be quiet, you scum!” one of the blurs closest to him yelled, obviously very irritated at him.

“But...” the Doctor had to stop and groan, holding his bound hands to the side of his bleeding head as he struggled to sit up through the constant, unrelenting tidal waves of dizziness.

“I told you not to talk!” the blur yelled, and seconds later something hit the Doctor in the jaw. The blur had thrown something at him...

He decided not to talk again since he'd obviously done something very bad, and just assess the damage. He knew he could have only been unconscious for around six minutes, but he was still bleeding. His vision was still very blurry and his head felt like it had an axe stuck in it. From these facts alone he knew he had a significant concussion...

“Thank you, we will see you soon,” the voice across the room said, and suddenly the Doctor realised all attention was on him. And somehow it wasn't a good attention. It was a bad attention. Very, very bad.

“Did I do something wrong?” the Doctor wondered vaguely, still wincing and holding his head.

“Wrong?!” the blur who had thrown something at him repeated in a shriek. “Wrong?! You  _ know  _ what you've done wrong!”

The Doctor stared at the blur. “You're really gonna have to help me out, here.”

“What did you do with the Doctor?!”

The Doctor blinked, surprised. “... What?”

“Where is he?!”

The Doctor couldn't  _ be _ more confused. “I  _ am _ the Doctor...”

“You sick bastard!” the blur yelled and something came hurtling towards him again, this time clipping his nose. “You killed him and then took his wife and daughter and the TARDIS. You're the imposter!”

“What?” the Doctor breathed, brow knitted in confusion. “No, I really  _ am  _ the Doctor...”

“Well, you would say that!” the blur spat.

“Yash,” the voice that had been on the phone suddenly interrupted. “Give him aid for his head and try to control yourself, okay? I'll be at the space-pad waiting for the escorts.”

The blur, obviously called Yash, grunted folded his arms. “Fine,” he harrumphed, as the other person left, and the cell door opened. Yash became clearer as he moved closer to the Doctor, an angry blue youthful man leering down at him as he shoved an ice pack roughly in the Doctor's face. The Time Lord took it with bloody hands and held it to his injured head.

“Thanks,” the Doctor muttered.

“This doesn't mean I like you!” Yash snapped. “Doctor killer!”

The Doctor knew to be accused of this he had to be in an incredibly dangerous situation... where was Rose? Leah? The TARDIS? He had to escape and find them – but he could barely think through the pain in his head.

“Look, Yash...” he began.

“I'm not talking to you!”

“Then just listen, okay?” the Doctor breathed, his eyes closed as he tried to work through the pain. “I don't know what's happened, or is in fact happening. All I know is that I came to this planet to get some medicine, and somehow I managed to get my head smashed in to end up in this place, with my family and my ship taken, and now I'm being accused of murdering myself. I don't  _ care _ who you think I am, can you  _ please  _ just tell me where my wife and daughter are?”

“Like I'd tell you!” Yash yelled. “I'd never betray the Doctor!”

The Doctor groaned once more, and tried a different approach. “Okay, how well do you know the Doctor?”

Yash suddenly beamed. “I'm his biggest fan!”

The Doctor frowned. “I thought that was Baris?”

Yash laughed boisterously. “Him?!” he scoffed. “He's only a level 49 Doctor Lover, I'm level 54!”

“... Doctor Lover?”

“Yeah!” Yash said, beaming from ear-to-ear, evidently proud. “The more posts you have on the Spacenet Doctor Forums the higher...”

“Right, I get it,” the Doctor interrupted swiftly. “So if you know him so well, how do you think he would react to someone trying to steal his family and his Tardis?”

Yash was grinning again. “Oh he'd totally kick their ass!” he yelled happily, fist in the air. 

“So you don't think anyone actually could?”

Yash was about to shake his head, when he finally realised what the Doctor was up to. “... Well obviously you did it so it's not all that impossible!”

The Doctor sighed again, still holding the medical pack to his head. It had stopped bleeding at least. “Please, tell me where my family are, or I may have to kick  _ your  _ ass.”

“I ain't afraid of you!” Yash suddenly shouted, getting to his feet and back away from the Doctor. “You killed the Doctor and now you're gonna pay! He was the greatest person to have ever lived and you killed him! I hate you!”

He turned, locked the cell door behind him and strutted into a side office. 

“... Daddy?”

The Doctor's breath caught in his throat as he quickly shot to attention, looking frantically around the room for an appropriately-shaped blur... And found her hiding just out of sight by the cell. “Leah? Are you okay?” he whispered, eyes flickering to the side office to check for Yash, but he was still inside.

“Daddy bang head?” she asked in a whisper.

“Yeah,” the Doctor grimaced, but already knew the serious danger they were in. He had to protect Leah at all costs, and that could only happen one way... “Leah, go back to the Tardis, hit the emergency button like we practised, Auntie Sarah will look after you...”

“No,” Leah said, running silently up to the cell door and taking out a clip from her hair, reaching forward and unlocking the door in one swift click.

The Doctor blinked, staring at the unlocked door. “How did you...”

“Uncle Jack showed me.”

“Remind me to kiss him when we get back.”

She giggled and ran over to him to untie his hands. When he was freed he rubbed his wrists, wincing, before he used Leah to struggle to his feet, trying desperately to find his centre of balance as she pressed her hands to his leg in futile support.

“Do you know where Mummy is, Leah?” he asked quietly.

She shook her head. 

“Okay, we'll find her,” the Doctor assured her, taking her hand to lead her out of he cell, but and met Yash standing in the middle of the room, staring at them in horror.

For a moment they both froze like deer in headlights.

“Leah! Get away from him!” Yash yelled, diving forward to grab her, wrenching her from her father.

She cried out, and the Doctor’s blood  _ boiled. _

As Leah struggled in Yash's grip the Doctor was on  _ fire _ at the mere  _ thought  _ that someone had dared to take Leah from him without his consent. His bond with Leah screamed its rage as suddenly all he could hear was the blood pounding in his ears and he began to stride forward, hands out...

But Leah was one step ahead. She raised a fist and slammed it straight into Yash's stomach, another of Uncle Jack's essential life skills. Yash's eyes bulged and he let go of the little girl, backing away and bent over, struggling to breath. The Doctor stopped and blinked in surprise, as Leah ran back to her daddy, hugging his middle tightly and bursting into quiet sobs. He held her close, glaring at Yash with hatred as the blue man stared at him, transfixed.

“Don't play games with me,” the Doctor grated, still staring at Yash, not even having blinked. “You will tell me where my wife is  _ right now!” _

Yash just stared.

“TELL ME!!!” the Doctor roared into Yash's terrified face.

He could barely speak. “The... The... umm.. The...”

The Doctor made to move forward again.

Yash squeaked in terror. “The Shadow Proclamation have sent an alert that... that someone had got rid of the Doctor and was impersonating him... And we sh-should capture him and wait for the Shadow Proclamation to... to get here so they could p-punish the imposter and take his wife and child to... to safety...”

“When?”

“Umm...”

“WHEN?!” the Doctor yelled.

“Daddy,” Leah suddenly interrupted, and in the drop of a hat the Doctor flipped from burning anger to incredible compassion.

“What?” he asked, stroking her hair as she looked up at him.

“Don't shout.”

“I'm sorry, Leah,” he said. “Sometimes Daddy has to shout at  _ incredibly stupid _ people.”

“... You  _ are _ the Doctor, aren't you?” Yash whispered.

“Oh,  _ not _ so stupid,” the Doctor said in mock congratulations. “Where is Rose?” he asked as calmly as he could.

“I hit you, I'm sorry, I didn't know... I didn't...” Yash gabbled, looking as though he might cry. “I threw stuff, I thought you were the imposter, I would've never...”

The Doctor quickly held up a silencing hand, even if it was covered in the blood Yash had spilt. “It's fine,” he said. “Forgiven.”

Yash perked up slightly, as it clearly finally dawned on him he was talking to the Doctor.  _ The _ Doctor. “Everyone thinks you're dead! Wait till I get on the Spacenet forums!” He paused, thought for a moment. “No one'll believe me... Wait, can I get a picture? Just me and you? Hugging? No, wait! Can I kiss you in it? Can you autograph it?”

“Yash, this really isn't the time...”

“Oh right, yeah. We’ve gotta run! Are we best friends now? Can I say you're my best friend?”

“Yes,” the Doctor said quickly. “Now where's my wife?”

Yash was beaming, struggling not to squee. “She's in the cells, guarded.”

“How bad it is?”

“She was saying that you were you and we'd got it wrong, but the Shadow Proclamation were all like, 'no! She's mental! Guard her! Don't let the imposter near her!'...” he mimicked. “So she's like, heavily guarded and stuff while we wait for the Proclamation to take you all away. But it's cool, right? Because you're the real Doctor.”

The Doctor ignored the last of his sentence. “And where's the Tardis?”

“She’s pretty close. What’re you gonna do?”

“Dunno yet,” the Doctor admitted. “I'll think of something.”

“Oooh!” Yash pointed, jumping up and down excitedly. “You said that with the Cybermen! This is gonna be awesome!”

The Doctor decided to go with it, having a quick check of his pockets. “Yeah. Where's my sonic?”

“Here!” Yash quickly darted to a desk where a brown bag was sat. “I saved everything. You know, in case the Doctor wasn't really dead and wanted them back.”

“Well, he does now,” the Doctor assured him, moving forward with Leah at his heels, rummaging through to retrieve his belongings and shoving them into his pockets, checking the sonic screwdriver was still working – all the while trying to ignore Yash's look of complete awe.

“I love you,” Yash said beamed.

“Likewise,” the Doctor assured him, shoving the sonic into his inside jacket pocket and taking Leah's hand again. “Take me to the Tardis.”

“I'm gonna see the Tardis!” Yash realised. “This is awesome! C'mon!” he enthused, and led the Doctor towards a side door.

But just before they reached it, the door burst open and ten Judoon flooded in, very quickly surrounding them.

“You will cease and desist!” the lead Judoon demanded.

“This is the Doctor!” Yash yelled happily, stepping in front of the Time Lord confidently. “You've got it all wrong! He's alive! And this is him! Everything's fine!”

“You will cease and desist!” the Judoon repeated, and simultaneously they raised their weapons and aimed at the Doctor, Leah and Yash.

“Yash,” the Doctor said quickly. “Don't...”

“Don't worry!” Yash enthused, folding his arms as he boldly continued to argue his case. “This ain't the imposter!”

“Yash!” the Doctor yelled urgently, grabbing the young man's arm. “Get out of the way, let them take me.”

Yash looked back at him, confused. “Why? You're the real you, you're not the imposter, everything's cool, right?”

“I don't think they care,” the Doctor murmured. “There is no imposter... they made it up to find me and arrest me...”

One of the Judoon moved forward from behind them and grabbed the Doctor, restraining him. 

Yash whirled around, frowning. “What are you doing? Stop it!”

“Yash, please, please get out of here...” the Doctor begged.

“No!” Yash yelled, eyes wide. “He hasn't done anything wrong! He never does anything wrong! He's my best friend!”

“Yash! Run!” the Doctor yelled.

“No, I won't!” Yash yelled back, drawing out his police-issued weapon and pointing it at the Judoon holding the Doctor. “Let go of him!”

“Yash!!!” the Doctor yelled,  _ pleading _ with him... “Put it down and get out of here!!!”

Then it all happened so fast. With one fluid motion, Yash aimed his weapon at the Judoon holding his best friend, and fired.

Of course, the bullet had no effect... But the damage had already been done.

“Charge; attempted murder...” the head Judoon began...

“No! Yash! Run!” the Doctor yelled.

“Plea; guilty...”

Yash was obviously too stunned to move, suddenly finding all the guns were aimed at him. He swallowed, dropped his weapon...

“Sentence...”

“RUN, YASH!” the Doctor screamed.

“... Execution.”


	8. Kesh-up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor heads to find Rose, with the help of his new best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I promise I'm back onto this now XD

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver, and just as the Judoon made to pull their triggers, all of their guns simultaneously jammed. In the surprise the Doctor wrenched himself out of the Judoon's grip and grabbed Yash's arm, stumbling out of the room and slamming the door behind him before locking it with the sonic. They both pelted down the corridor, the Doctor really having to rely on the shocked Yash as his head was still throbbing very badly. When they had run a sufficient distance they both screeched to a halt, panting and leaning against the wall, the Doctor holding his head.

“Do me a favour,” the Doctor panted. “Don't do that again.”

“You saved my life,” Yash realised, obviously in complete shock. 

“Sorry, it's a habit,” the Doctor said, still blinking desperately to try and get the world in focus.

There was a brief moment as silence as they continued to catch their breath, the echoing sounds of angry Judoon slamming their fists on the locked door far away down the corridor.

Suddenly Yash straightened, looking around with wide eyes. “Where's Leah?”

“She'll meet us at the Tardis,” the Doctor assured him. “Where  _ is _ the Tardis?” 

“Down here,” Yash said, and sprinted off before the Doctor had even blinked. The Time Lord quickly stumbled after Yash, one hand still clutching his head. They ran down the corridor and turned the corner, just in time to hear the door crash open behind them. This made Yash run faster, and consequently lose the Doctor.

“Yash!” the Doctor hissed, the pain in his head now absolutely blinding as the world merged and warped before him. “Yash!”

He stopped, leaning against the wall and trying desperately to focus. He could hear the synchronised footsteps of Judoon getting closer and closer ...

Suddenly a tiny hand slipped in his. “Daddy! This way!” Leah's voice said, and began to pull him in a direction. He followed without protest, letting the small girl lead him down the corridors and into a side door, where the TARDIS sat bolted to the floor. They quickly slipped through the door and he slammed it behind them, looking up to see Yash standing in the middle of console room staring at the ceiling in wonder.

“This...” Yash gaped. “This...” But when he couldn't find the words to say, he slipped out a camera and took a picture instead.

“Yash,” the Doctor grunted. “My policy here is saving lives first, pictures later.”

“Oh, sorry,” Yash said, putting the camera back in his pocket. “They're not gonna  _ believe  _ this on the forums!”

“Gimme a hand,” the Doctor said, moving to the console and flicking a switch with his left hand, his right still holding his head. “I can't do this by myself right now.”

Yash suddenly froze, staring at the Doctor, then the console, then the Doctor again. “You ... You want me to ... to ...”

“Press buttons? Yes,” the Doctor finished, gesturing to the console. “Try to keep this level and press this button every three seconds, you got that?”

Yash nodded quickly, rolling back his shoulders and moving forward to do the task, clearly not wanting to let the Doctor down. He grabbed the lever and stabbed the button, and squeaked when the TARDIS suddenly began to churn, exploding into life.

“Where's Rose?” the Doctor asked, pulling around the monitor to face him.

“Umm,” Yash began, taking his hands off of the console to think, tapping his chin absently. “Security Corridor Two ...”

“Yash, buttons!” the Doctor urged, and Yash jumped in alarm as he realised he'd let go, his hands snapping back to the console. “Okay, Security Corridor Two,” the Time Lord, and yanked a lever. “Coming up.”

Leah obediently grabbed onto his leg as the TARDIS jolted, and landed with a bump. As the monitor afforded them a view of the outside, the Doctor saw Rose, being forced towards the space-pad by weapon-wielding Judoon.

“Let's go! Yash and the Doctor! Kicking ass together!” Yash yelled enthusiastically, another gun finding its way into his hand again. The Doctor stared at him disbelievingly for a moment before grabbing it off of him and slipping it inside his jacket.

“I thought you knew me? No guns!” the Doctor reprimanded. “Now stay here!” He bolted over to the door and flung it open.

“Doctor!” Rose yelled from amidst the crowd of Judoon, who all turned when they saw him, immediately drawing out their weapons. He drew his sonic in turn, pointing it threateningly at them.

“You will come quietly!” the Judoon demanded. “You are under arrest!”

“Judoon,” the Doctor began strongly, glancing at Rose. “I'm  _ really  _ not in a very good mood, so I'll get straight to the point. Tell me what you want. Is this about my daughter?”

“Case 606987 cannot be disclosed to the public,” one of the Judoon gruffed.

The Doctor was astonished. “But  _ I'm _ the person you're arresting under a false charge!”

“Case is irrelevant.”

“Irrelevant? How can it be... Hold on, arresting me is irrelevant but 606987 can't be disclosed? There's more than one case?” the Doctor frowned, struggling to work it out through his pained head. “One is arresting the fictional imposter to take me and my family into custody, and the other one is... What exactly?”

“Case 606987 cannot be disclosed to the public,” one of the Judoon gruffed again.

“Right,” the Doctor muttered, glancing at Rose again. “Hold on a sec.” He turned to the TARDIS and called in the door. “Leah, come here.”

The girl obediently came out of the TARDIS to stand beside her Dad, looking up at him, but obviously terrified. He smiled gently and knelt down to her, whispering something in her ear. She nodded and closed her eyes tightly, put her fingers in her ears, and started to sing.

“Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are …”

“So this case 606987,” the Doctor began as he stood up again, swiftly pulling out the gun he had taken from Yash earlier from his jacket pocket. 

“Up above the world so high …” Leah continued to sing.

He gazed at it for a moment, before gripping it with a finger on the trigger and pointing the barrel directly at Leah's head. “Would this  _ at all _ be relevant?”

“Like a diamond in the sky …” Leah carried on, oblivious.

Rose stared at him, wide-eyed. The Judoon seemed to tense, and instantly the Doctor drew back the gun and threw it far away down the corridor, already having his reaction. He tapped Leah on the shoulder and she stopped singing to look up at him, pulling her fingers out of her ears. He smiled reassuringly, stretching out his hand which she took, clinging on tightly with both hands.

“Then as the parent to this child, who is a minor, I demand you tell me the charge against this child under article fifty-two of your own proclamation.”

“Article eighty-nine demands new species to be catalogued, assessed and taken into care,” the Judoon replied, somewhat reluctantly.

“But she's part-gallifreyan, part-human, it's cross-species,” the Doctor said. “That's an exemption from the article.”

“Gallifreyans are classified an endangered species,” the Judoon said. “The hybrid must be protected to ensure stability of the rare and new species from the endangered father's species.”

“But ...”

“This is a matter for the courts to decide, to whether the hybrid child is a threat to others, or under threat. Come quietly.”

The Doctor suddenly realised that the Judoon that had originally come to take him from his cell were now marching steadily towards them from down the previously empty side of the corridor, completely trapping him between the two groups. He glanced at the TARDIS, then at Leah, then at Rose almost lost in the crowd of Judoon.

“Run, Doctor!” Rose yelled as the Doctor glanced between the groups, maintaining his position, his sonic aloft. But this was hopeless. He knew that. Fight or flight ... and flight was tactically the best option. But he couldn't leave Rose ...

The Judoon began to close in, and the Doctor was forced backwards, away from the TARDIS doors ...

“Raaarrrgh!” a voice suddenly yelled from inside the TARDIS, and seconds later Yash burst over the threshold and ran yelling into the crowd of surprised Judoon. “Distraction!” Yash yelled, waving his arms. “DISTRACTION!”

The way to the TARDIS cleared, and the Doctor took his opportunity. He grabbed Leah in both arms and ran into the TARDIS, turning at the last moment see Rose disappear through fog of angry Judoon. 

“I'll come back for you!” he yelled to her, but it was anyone's guess as to whether she’d heard or not. He slammed the door and set Leah on the floor, staggering to the console and attempting his best effort at programming. By some absolute miracle he managed to commence a journey to Torchwood, the central column springing into life.

Finally he sank to his knees, holding his head. 

“Daddy,” Leah said, and a pair of tiny arms moved in to hug him without another word.

“Oh, Leah,” he breathed, hugging her in return, kissing her forehead. “I'm so sorry, I lost Mummy.”

“You get Mummy back,” Lead replied positively. 

He smiled gently, wondering if her defiance was warranted. “Yeah.”

* * *

“Rose is gone?”

Everyone had very quickly gathered in the Torchwood medbay where Martha was trying to gauge how bad the head trauma was, jabbing and prodding the Doctor's head and getting him to recite the alphabet amidst other tests that were probably a bit too thorough.

“Yeah,” the Doctor croaked. “The Shadow Proclamation took her... Tried to take me and Leah. Made up some story that I was an impostor and I'd murdered the Doctor, so they'd get the whole universe out hunting for me.”

“Ouch,” Jack muttered.

The Doctor gave a cynical laugh as Martha checked his head-scans. “That's only the beginning. They're trying to take Leah into custody, to catalogue her and take her into care.”

“Eh? Why?” Mickey asked.

“I'm the last Gallifreyan, other than the Master – don't think they know about him – but to them I'm just a statistic on a piece of paper; an endangered species. Since I am who I am with a reputation, they can't lay a finger on me without the Universe knowing – hence the made up story about the impostor killing the Doctor. Someone was bound to spot me and arrest me. And if they get me, they get Leah. But Leah is a human-gallifreyan hybrid and a completely new species. She's just a child, so they think she's an easy target and want to take her to protect her to sustain the new species, because with me and Rose they think she might be in danger.”

“Wait,” Jack started, finger in the air. “This is basically intergalactic social services?”

The Doctor looked at him, and gave a deflated laugh. “Sort of.”

“But why do they have Rose?” Martha suddenly interrupted, pausing in her scan checking. “There's no charge against her. They have no basis to keep her.”

“No, they don't,” the Doctor muttered darkly. 

“Is she safe?”

He thought for a moment, then nodded. “They wouldn't gain by killing her, it would drive me away instead. From their point of view, she's my incentive to go back.”

“That's a hostage situation,” Ianto put in. “Surely that's illegal in universal law too?”

“I don't think they care anymore.”

“But they're police!” Mickey pointed out.

“Police can be corrupt too,” the Doctor answered simply.

“But who's corrupting them?” Martha asked. “They must have a reason to do this. They've gone to a lot of trouble.”

“And that's the question,” the Doctor murmured. “Somebody wants Leah... Somebody who has control of the biggest justice force in the universe...”

They all fell silent, letting that sink in.

“Daddy?” They all looked up to find Leah standing at the top of the medbay stairs, peering through the metal railing before started to navigate her way down the steep metal steps using the tried and tested bum shuffle method.

“Careful,” the Doctor said quickly and Jack moved forward to pick her up, but she very quickly resisted. 

“I do by my own,” she insisted, and continued down for about a minute until she reached the bottom of the steps, got to her feet, and jumped in the air happily. Everyone collectively cheered, whooped and clapped, and she bowed in turn, giggling. She went straight to her father, who lifted her onto the examination table beside him.

“Daddy better now?” she asked, gazing up at him.

“Your Daddy's hit his head, but if he rests he'll get better in no time,” Martha said, handing the Doctor the scan. He looked at it.

“Oh look Leah, I've got a small linear parietal skull fracture,” he said, pointing at the scan as he showed the girl. 

She went for a hug. “When will Mummy get back?”

“I don't know,” the Doctor replied honestly after a pause. “But it'll be very soon, okay? As soon as I've healed.”

She nodded. “I'm hungry.”

He pursed his lips for a moment, thinking. “We haven't eaten all morning. Let's have a really big lunch. What do you want?”

“Um, um...” Leah began, scrunching her eyes up tight to think hard. “Can we have hot dogs please? With cheese and tommy plop.”

“Yep, sounds good,” the Doctor said, and then he caught the others' expressions. “She can't say ketchup so she calls it tommy plop...” he explained in an undertone.

“I can too,” Leah suddenly interrupted, folding her arms indignantly.

“Go on then,” Jack encouraged. “Ketchup.”

“Keth-up. Ket-up. Keh-up. Kesh-up. Kesh-up!” she said proudly.

“Close enough,” the Doctor said, picking her up before looking at the gathered crowd. “Does anyone else want hot dogs with cheese and tommy plop?”

They collectively laughed and shook their heads very quickly.

“All right then, just you and me for fine dining, Leah,” he said, carrying her up the stairs and towards the TARDIS, but not before Leah had waved the crowd good bye over her father's shoulder. They waved back before they disappeared.

Jack's hand dropped, and he glanced at the others. “He's more worried than he's letting on.”

“It's just show for Leah,” Martha replied quietly. 

The others simply nodded, and after a few moments they dispersed to get back to work.   



	9. Peppa Pig

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor has problems adapting to become a single parent in Rose's absence.

“Daddy, hurry up!” Leah demanded, sitting at the table waving her legs back and forth. Her father looked at her, and she quickly added, “please!” on the end.

“Nearly done,” he assured her, cutting up her hot dog into smaller chunks. 

“Mummy does it quicker than you,” she said.

“You're being a bit rude,” the Doctor said, picking up the plates and moving to the table. “Do you want this or not?”

She nodded fervently.

He moved over to the bin, grinning as he held the plate over it. “Are you sure you want it?”

“I'm sorry!” she squeaked, wide-eyed.

He laughed and gave it to her, taking the seat opposite. “Well, Mummy's not here at the moment so you've gotta make do with Daddy's mediocre non-human cooking speeds for a while.”

“Thank you,” she said, shoving a chunk into her mouth, and consequently smearing tomato ketchup all over her face.

“Chew!” the Doctor said quickly. 

“Sorry.”

“It's okay. Well, now we've go the place to ourselves we'll have some time to practise your schooling.”

“Can we practise ...” she began, sending everything she'd chewed flying back out of her mouth.

“Leah, don't talk with your mouth full.”

“Sorry,” she said, chewing quickly and then swallowing. “Can ... Can we practise your thing?”

“You mean my language?” 

She nodded.

“Okay,” he said. “But first you have to take away eighteen from one hundred and two.”

“Okay. Um ... issit ... Umm ...” She looked at him hopefully. He smiled and kept his lips tightly shut. She began counting on her fingers.

“No cheating!” the Doctor insisted. “Come on, I know you can do this.”

“Err ... one ... um ... ninety-two ... um ... Eighty-four!”

“Yep! I'm so proud of you,” he said happily.

She beamed. “Does this mean we do your thing?”

“Yeah, we will.”

“Yay!” Leah said happily, before putting another piece of the hot dog into her mouth, smearing even more ketchup over her face in the process. “Daddy ...”

“Leah. Mouth.”

“Sorry,” she said, and swallowed. “Daddy, why Joodoon take Mummy? Did ... Did she do something bad?”

The Doctor gazed at her for a moment. “No, Leah, it's just been a bit of a mistake. She's fine, so don't worry about anything.”

“Okay,” she said, eating the last piece of the hot dog. “Please may I get down?”

“Yeah, go and wash your face.”

“Okay,” she repeated, jumping off of the chair and running out of the kitchen. 

* * *

 

After the Doctor cleaned up he found Leah in the sitting room, watching the TV. He took a look.

“ _ I'm Peppa Pig! This is my little brother, George, this is Mummy Pig, and this is Daddy Pig ...” _

Peppa Pig. Nickelodeon had a  _ lot  _ to answer for. He made to leave, but Leah quickly jumped off of the sofa and grabbed his arm. 

“Please watch Peppa Pig with me,” she said.

Rose normally did this kind of thing with Leah, but this time he had to concede so he nodded and let himself be led to the sofa to watch.

“ _ Mummy Pig is dressed as a fireman!”  _ the narrator said. 

“ _ Mummy, why are you dressed like that?”  _ asked a little girl pig to Mummy Pig.

“ _ I'm going to the Mummy's fire engine practice!”  _ Mummy Pig declared.

“Daddy, what's a fire engine?” Leah asked.

“Um, big vehicle, flashing lights,” he said vaguely.

“Daddy!” Leah wailed.

“Okay, it's a large emergency vehicle used for the fire service, which is a public or private organisation that provides fire protection for a certain jurisdiction, which typically is a municipality, county, or fire protection district.”

Leah stared at him.

“It's a big red vehicle that puts out fires,” he quickly amended.

“Okay,” she said.

“ _ Mummy, can we see the fire engine?”  _ Peppa Pig asked.

“ _ Yes!”  _ Mummy Pig replied.

“ _ Oh goody!” _

“Well that's not hazardous at all,” the Doctor muttered sarcastically.

“Daddy, be quiet,” Leah demanded.

“Sorry,” he said, watching the rest ... very cynically. As it finished he got to his feet, but to his alarm he found Leah was crying quietly.

“Hey, what's wrong?” he asked, dropping back down to hold her.

“You don't watch it right,” she sobbed. “You don't watch it like Mummy does.”

“Well, tell me what she does and I'll give it a try,” he said, lifting her onto his knee. 

“She talks like... umm... through it and she ask me questions after and talks about it.”

“Well, I can do that,” he said. “Which bit did you like the most? I liked the bit with the ... umm ... pig.”

She looked at him like he was the biggest idiot in the world, tears still in her eyes. “I want Mummy,” she sobbed.

“Leah ...”

“Go away!” she yelled, jumping off of his lap and running out the door. The Doctor stared after her for a moment, considering pursuing, but conceded instead to flop on his back onto the sofa, staring at the ceiling. 

“Doctor?” 

The Doctor looked over to see Jack in the doorway. 

“Rifts been going crazy recently, need your input ...” He moved forward, staring at the Time Lord. “What's wrong with you?”

“I didn't watch Peppa Pig right,” the Doctor muttered.

“I  _ think  _ that sentence made sense,” Jack said, grabbing the Doctor's arm and pulling him up. “Come on. I need you.”

“Well at least someone does,” the Doctor murmured without conviction, following Jack out of the room, through the empty halls and console room into the Torchwood Hub. Jack sat the Doctor down at the briefing table where everyone else was, pushing some paper in front of him.

The Doctor looked at it, but didn't really look at it, thumbing through lamely with his chin resting in one hand.

“It's the rift readings from the last few days,” Jack said. “If you go to page three, there’s some serious anomalies in the readings, they’re spiking and things are falling through. But we can’t see a cause. Doctor, what d’you think?”

Everyone looked at the Doctor, who was staring at the wall.

“Doctor?” Jack prompted.

The Doctor refocused, blinking. “Sorry. What?”

“The rift,” Jack repeated.

“Oh, right,” the Doctor muttered, looking at the paper. “What page?”

“What's wrong?” Martha asked before Jack could answer, frowning slightly.

“I didn't watch Peppa Pig right,” the Doctor said again, sighing.

“And yet I still don't know what that means,” Jack said, frowning. “Is this about Leah?”

“Yeah.”

“What happened?”

“We argued.”

“Oh,” Martha muttered. 

“Well, I say argued,” the Doctor began, staring at the desk. “I don't really think it's classed as an argument when it's roughly eight seconds of me getting yelled at by a two-year-old ...?”

“Why was she yelling at you?” Gwen asked.

The Doctor sighed, slouching back in the chair still staring at the desk. “Rose does things with her that I don't, just like I do things with Leah that Rose doesn't. But Leah still finds all of them important ... And I just can't do what Rose normally does. She wants her Mum, not me, and I can't even go and find her because of my stupid head...” he finished, gesturing to his skull.

“So, no rift conversation,” Jack muttered.

Martha ignored the ex-Time Agent. “You know, if you just talk to Leah she'll understand. She's very intelligent, she'll accept that she's going to have to make do without some things for a while if you just talk to her.”

“Maybe,” the Doctor muttered, unconvinced. Suddenly there was the quiet pad of a child's footsteps, and Leah entered, crying.

“Daddy,” she sobbed.

The Doctor sat up, instantly alert. “What's wrong?”

She held up Bundy the teddy bear to him, cradling her carefully. “Bundy broke,” she sobbed.

He took the bear, examining the damage. Her neck was slightly ripped and one of her button eyes had fallen out.

“Where's her other eye?” the Doctor asked. Leah held up the button, which he took.

“Please fix her,” she sobbed.

He stared at the bear. “I'm sorry, I don't know how to fix her,” he said.

“Mummy knows how,” Leah said quietly.

Gwen could obviously see this taking a turn for the worse. “Let me have a go,” she said, taking the bear. “Have you got a sewing kit?”

The Doctor looked on the verge of despair. “I don't know where it is.”

“Use mine,” Martha said quickly. “In my desk, top drawer.”

Gwen nodded, moving off. Leah took one disparaging look at her father, and then ran off after Gwen.

\-----------

They ate dinner in silence. 

Leah had become very quiet for the rest of the day, not only around him, but around the others as well. The Doctor knew this was a classic psychological reaction from both him and Leah at being forcibly separated from Rose, and although he had read all the textbooks about it, it  _ definitely _ hadn't prepared him for reality. 

It wasn't like Rose was dead, but the empty place at the table said it all. His marriage bond was going haywire with the need to be around her, but he had convinced himself she was safe for the time being.

When he and Leah had both finished the Doctor cleaned up the plates and brought out a packet of biscuits, putting them on the table between him and Leah.

Leah just looked at them, then at him, and then at the table's surface.

“Leah,” the Doctor said quickly, reaching out to take her little hand in his own. “Please talk to me.”

She looked back up at him slowly. “When will Mummy be back?”

“Soon.”

“Okay,” she paused, looking down at the table, before looking up again. “Please may I get down and go to bed?”

The Doctor suppressed a sigh, and let go of her hand. “Yeah.”

She nodded and dropped off of the kitchen chair, moving to him for a hug and a kiss. 

He lifted her up and held her tighter than usual. “Do you want a bedtime story? I’ll read whatever you want.”

“No, thank you.”

“Okay. Make sure you brush your teeth, not your face,” he said putting on a grin he didn’t really feel like giving.

She nodded again, slipping off of his lap. “Night night.”

“I'll be in to check on you in ten minutes, okay?”

“Okay,” she said, and left.

* * *

 

“Right, maybe there's a slight rip?” Jack wondered, nervously checking the rift monitor. “That's why there's been an increase of stuff falling through?”

“Maybe,” Mickey said, flicking through the screens with the mouse. “Bit dodgy to touch it, though.”

“Well, we can't keep going out making up stories to get the stuff that falls through the rift,” Jack pointed out. “If we can close it with the rift manipulator, let's close it. We used to do it all the time.”

“How?”

“Tosh programmed this application...” Jack said, rummaging through the files. “Just a sec.” He clicked on a file and instantly there was a high-pitched whirring sound for all around them, drilling into their ears. Jack quickly closed it. “All right, not that one,” he said, and kept looking.

* * *

 

Leah stepped down from the bathroom stool, rubbing her face with the towel. She moved back out of the door to go to bed, when she suddenly heard a strange noise from outside the TARDIS. Intrigued, she followed it through the console room and out of the door.

She couldn't see anyone, so she clambered up the steps to the right, emerging into a part of Torchwood she'd never been before. There was a strange machine sat in the centre, so she walked up to it and stared at it intently. It stretched right up towards the ceiling ...

* * *

 

“Ah! Got it!” Jack said, double-clicking on the application. Mickey peered with interest at the screen as Jack began to adjust the settings.

“This is either really clever or really dumb,” Mickey warned.

“We've used this calibration tens of times before, it'll be fine. Ready?”

“Yep.”

Jack clicked 'calibrate' ... and instantly the rift manipulator machine exploded. But it wasn't the blast that shocked them ... It was the high-pitched scream of a little girl. Then Jack realised ...

“Leah!!!” he yelled, utterly panicked as he ran into the main Hub, and found Leah collapsed onto the floor beside the carnage of the blown up machine. He dropped to his knees beside her, turning her over and holding her in his arms. She was unconscious.

“Leah?!” suddenly came another yell as the Doctor practically flew out of the TARDIS doors in a panic, stopping dead when he saw Leah in Jack's arms, completely limp. Suddenly his face turned to thunder and within moments he was by Leah's side.

“Doc, I'm so sorry, I didn't know she was there, I thought she was with you...” Jack gabbled as the Doctor took Leah from Jack, checking her over. There was a bruise coming up on her forehead, some small cuts on her arms.

“It's okay, I'm here now...” the Doctor whispered to his little girl, brushing her hair from her eyes, kissing her forehead. “I'm here, Daddy's here...”

“Doc...” Jack began.

“Get away from her,” the Doctor grated, holding Leah tightly in his arms.

“What?” Jack asked, dumbfounded.

“You heard.”

Jack paused, still kneeling down next to them, staring at the Doctor. “But ...”

“GET AWAY FROM HER!” the Doctor screamed, staring at Jack with his eyes afire.

Jack backed away ... and ran.


	10. Your Alien Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leah's accident has the Doctor on a knife edge and questioning his ability as a parent.

Martha approached the TARDIS Infirmary, not quite sure what she was going to say. The Doctor's yelling had been audible from the autopsy room, and she had known him long enough to know when he was truly angry.

She stopped outside the door, just listening. There didn't seem to be any noise. She eased open the door and peeked inside, seeing the Doctor sitting with his back to her, next to a bed. 

She moved forwards. “Doctor?”

“Leave me alone,” the Doctor muttered.

“Let me help,” Martha said gently, moving to stand next to him, looking down at Leah asleep in the bed, hugging Bundy.

“Leave me alone,” he repeated, just as calm.

“Doctor,” Martha began firmly, folding her arms. “I am a doctor and Leah is a patient. I'm going to look after her and I don't care if you're sitting here or not. Either join me or get out of the way.”

He finally looked up at her. His eyes were puffy and red. He'd been crying. After a few moments he nodded, and she moved over to check on the girl.

“Has she been awake?”

“Yeah.”

“Drowsiness?”

“Just a bit worn out.”

“Did you do a head scan?”

“Yeah, it's fine.”

Martha nodded. Once satisfied she was completely fine she pulled up a chair next to the Doctor and took his hand, squeezing it in comfort.

“She will be okay,” she assured him. “Don't worry. This is just a knock, it happens all the time with kids.”

“I know,” he said.

“Why are you so angry, then?” Martha asked.

“It's the paternal bond. I know it's not his fault, but the bond thinks Jack hurt her, and that he could've killed her, and my instinct is telling me to make him suffer. It's taking everything I have just to stop myself walking out there and killing him in the most painful way possible, several times over ...” He looked back at Leah with the bruise on her forehead, cuddling her teddy tightly. “I love her so much. Now her Mum's not here I have to look after her even more than ever and I can't even do that ...”

“You can't be there all the time,” Martha reasoned. “This isn't anyone's fault. It's just one of those things.”

He nodded. “I know, it's just ...” He suddenly stopped, swallowing as he reached out and pulled the cover a little more over his daughter. “It's been one day and I already need Rose. Maybe Leah  _ is _ in danger. Maybe I shouldn't look after her. I'm a useless father ...”

Martha pounced instantly. “You're not useless, you're a better dad than mine ever was to me. Leah's a proper little daddy's girl and she loves you even more than you love her.” He opened his mouth as if ready to argue, but she swiftly cut him off again. “Do you know what Leah said to me? She said she had the best Daddy in the world because you have the best hugs,” she said with a laugh. 

The Doctor's face broke into a smile, looking down at the girl again. “She's so beautiful. If they take her.. . I don't know what I'd do. I'm scared of what I'd do. If I can get this angry at Jack for something that wasn't even his fault how am I going to react to someone taking her away from me completely? I'm barely coping knowing Rose isn't here. And it's been a day, Martha. A day without Rose and already I'm breaking down. I can't keep lying to Leah like this, if the Shadow Proclamation want her, they will find a way to take her and Rose becomes expendable ...”

Martha nodded, fully understanding. “Just spend some time with Leah while you heal. Something will happen to change things. You'll see.”

“Yeah,” he croaked. Martha hugged him. “Sorry,” he muttered.

Martha suddenly laughed. He looked at her, confused.

She smiled back. “It's unbelievable how much you've changed.”

“What?”

“When we travelled together you were like, 'I don't want to talk about my feelings!' and now look at you.”

“Is that bad?”

“Oh no, it's brilliant. You might be a 900-year-old alien but I think you're learning how to be a middle-aged human.”

“Oh.” The Doctor mused on that for a moment. “That really  _ is  _ bad. I think I need to go and do something a bit alien.”

She smiled. “Okay, have fun.” She caught his look. “I'll watch Leah.”

He nodded, leaning down to kiss Leah's forehead. “Thanks, Martha,” he said aside to her.

“It's fine. Now go and do your alien thing.”

He grinned, and left.

* * *

 

Leah woke up the next morning, only to find her father slouched in the chair beside her bed, eyes closed. She yawned, stretched and sat up, holding Bundy tightly to her chest as she leant forward and poked her dad in the arm.

“Daddy,” she said. “Daddy. Daddy.”

He didn't stir. 

“Daddy?” 

He wasn't moving an inch. Suddenly Leah was worried. She called for him a little louder to no reaction, before carefully climbing over the side of the bed to drop on the floor, and tugging on his leg.

“Daddy, wake up,” she said. “Daddy. Daddy. Daddy!”

He didn't move. She was panicking, now, tugging desperately on his leg.

“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy wake up!” she wailed, tears in her eyes. “Daddy, please don't go!”

He didn't even flinch.

She quickly ran out of the infirmary, her feet padding quickly but quietly down the TARDIS corridor with Bundy swinging back and forth in her hand. She ran out into Torchwood, looking frantically around for anyone that could help. She saw Mickey sat at his computer terminal and hastily clambered up the stairs to run over to him.

“Uncle Mickey!”

He turned and smiled down at her. “Good morning, Leah!”

“Uncle Mickey ...” Leah began.

“Sorry about yesterday, we didn't see you. You okay, yeah?”

“Uncle Mickey ...” she tried again.

“Your Dad was mad, I mean, seriously mad. I 'aven't seen him that mad since...”

“Be quiet!” Leah suddenly yelled, stamping her feet with her tiny fists clenched. Mickey blinked in surprise at the Jackie Tyler firey eyes-of-death right there on toddler. “Daddy not wake up, please help him!”

“Oh!” Mickey gasped, jumping out of his chair and yelling for Martha, who was there within seconds. Leah led them back into the TARDIS and straight towards the infirmary where the Doctor was still slouched in the chair. Martha moved forward to try and wake him by lightly slapping his face.

“Doctor, can you hear me?” she asked, but his head just lolled with the light slaps. Leah clutched desperately onto Bundy. Mickey quickly dropped to his knees and put his arm around her comfortingly.

“Don't worry, Leah.”

“I'm scared,” she said quietly, tears still in her eyes. “Please Uncle Mickey I don't want Daddy to go like Mummy.”

Mickey hugged her reassuringly as Martha put her cheek sideways over the Doctor's mouth and looked down his chest. He wasn't breathing.

“Mickey, get him onto a bed,” Martha said quickly, bringing out the stethoscope as Mickey moved forward to pick up the limp Doctor, depositing him on a bed. Leah stared with wide eyes, tears running down her face. Martha side-glanced at Mickey, who took the hint.

“Hey Leah, how about we have breakfast?” he asked, staring into her wet eyes.

“No,” she sobbed, holding Bundy tighter.

“We can make some for Daddy for when he wakes up.”

“No, I wanna stay!”

“Leah,” Martha said gently, pulling out her stethoscope. “Daddy wouldn't want you to go hungry, would he? Go and eat and when you get back he'll be awake.”

Leah was torn, for a moment looking between Mickey and her father before finally nodding. “Okay. But Bundy stay to watch him,” she said, running over to the bed the Doctor was on and placing Bundy next to him. When she was satisfied, she ran back to Mickey and took his hand, shoving her thumb into her mouth. 

* * *

 

“Martha!” came Jack's yell as he ran into the infirmary twenty minutes later, utterly panicked as he stopped next to the Doctor's bed. “Mickey told me. What's wrong with him?”

“It's okay, relax,” Martha said quickly, holding up her hand. “He's not breathing but his hearts are beating quietly. I think he's just in a healing coma.”

“Oh.” Jack breathed a sigh of relief. “And he didn't think to warn us?”

“Obviously not,” Martha replied. “Just give him a few hours, he's probably trying to heal his head faster. I think it really shocked Leah, though. How is she?”

“Mickey's just getting her dressed her and bringing her back,” Jack replied, looking down at the Doctor. “What an idiot.”

“Why am I an idiot?” a voice suddenly said from below as the Doctor blinked open his eyes. 

Jack jumped in surprise. “Oh, hello.”

“Hello,” the Doctor said drowsily, confused as he looked around. “I'm in a bed in the infirmary.”

“We thought you'd died,” Jack said reasonably.

“I left a note,” the Doctor said tiredly, gesturing towards the bedside table. Martha furrowed her brow and reached over, picking up a folded piece of paper they hadn't noticed before.

“Dear everyone,” she read aloud. “I'm going into a healing coma. From the Doctor.”

“See,” the Doctor said, yawning widely.

“Oh,” was all Martha said to that.

“You completely freaked out Leah,” Jack told him.

The Doctor's eyes widened. “What? Is she okay?”

“She's fine,” Martha said quickly. “But she thought you'd died or something.”

“Oh, I'm sorry,” the Doctor said quietly. “I only did it so I could go and find her Mum quicker for her.”

Jack shared a glance with Martha, who nodded covertly to the Doctor before getting out of her seat and moving to the door. “I'll go and get her,” she said, and disappeared.

Jack looked back at the sleepy Doctor nervously. “How's your head, then?”

“A bit better,” he muttered, sitting up and looking at him, blinking. “There were four of you yesterday but there's two of you today.”

Jack opened his mouth to reply, beaming ...

“Jack, I'm too tired for innuendos.”

“Oh,” Jack conceded, somewhat disappointed. “But ... I wanted to say, about yesterday ...” 

“No,” the Doctor suddenly interrupted. “I'm sorry, I know it wasn't your fault, it's just how I react. You didn't do anything wrong. This stuff just happens, and she's fine, so we'll forget it.”

“Thank god,” Jack breathed. “Well, that's all cleared up then.”

The Doctor gave a ghost of a smile. “Can you get my medication?”

“The pregnancy stuff?”

“Yeah.”

Jack nodded, moving over to the cupboard. “You still feel it when you're separated?”

“I feel everything, but even stronger than usual,” the Doctor replied. “The further away she is from me the more prominently I feel her. I know what she's feeling right now.”

“What's she feeling?”

The Doctor paused for a moment, trying to sum them up. “She's scared, angry and sad... but hopeful.”

Jack returned with a tube of the green liquid and a needle gun. “You must be missing her to death.”

The Doctor nodded slowly, holding out his arm. “I need to focus on Leah, though. I can feel her too. She's scared and confused about it all. She comes first, right now.”

“You're linked to her too?” Jack asked, snapping the tube in the gun.

The Doctor gave an affirmation. “Paternally. Which is why I reacted the way I did to you. I felt her shock and panic in that tiny moment and it terrified me.”

“Again, sorry,” Jack said, placing the point of the gun on his arm and pulling the trigger. The gun hissed and clicked. “Can she or Rose feel you?” he wondered, pulling the gun away.

“Rose can to a small extent, but Leah can't,” the Doctor replied. “She's too young at the moment, but it'll probably start developing over the next few years as her brain begins to mature.”

“And I wondered,” Jack began. “With this bond thing ... Cos your future self ... If Rose died, would you die?”

“Not while Leah's still alive.” He caught Jack's look. “The bond is a seriously delicate thing. It kind of weaves itself through you. If they both died and I was left alone, parts of me would literally die. You saw my future self, he went insane, and that was inevitable. It's a physical thing, I would go insane and try to kill myself, there's no stopping that. It can’t be fixed.”

“But Rose will eventually die.”

“I know.”

Jack frowned. “That's like a death sentence to yourself.”

“I know.”

Jack paused for a moment, thinking about this. “Do you regret bonding with Rose?”

“Not for a second,” the Doctor said, smiling. “I would rather have this time to share with her as much as I can than not have it at all.”

“But could you save yourself ...” Jack paused, working up the courage to say his next words. “If you bonded with someone else as well?”

The Doctor looked at him and considered this, his smile turning into a broad grin. “You're forgetting Ianto.”

Jack blushed a little. “Well ...” he began unsurely, but was thankfully interrupted by a small voice from across the infirmary.

“Daddy?” the voice asked, and Jack and the Doctor both looked over to find Leah peeking around the doorway.

“Hello,” the Doctor said, grinning and holding up Bundy. “I think you left Bundy behind.”

“She was watching you,” Leah replied, running over to the bed and attempting to clamber up onto it. Jack obligingly picked her up and sat her on the Doctor's lap.

“I'm sorry I scared you,” the Doctor said quietly, kissing her forehead.

“No do that again,” Leah reprimanded, hugging him tightly. “I don't want you to go like Mummy did.”

“Hey,” the Doctor began seriously. “I am never going to go, and Mummy will come back. But it's just us for now.”

She nodded, looking at him with those big brown eyes, reflecting his own. “I look after you while Mummy gone.”

“We can look after each other,” the Doctor replied, kissing her forehead again. “I know I don't do some things like Mummy does but I'll try my hardest for you, okay?”

“Okay. Ei’mina’eon, pohh,” Leah said.

The Doctor grinned. “Tara ei’mina’eon leir, Leah.”

Leah frowned. “Je’lei-ia ‘tara’ maya?”

“Don't worry, I'll teach you,” the Doctor replied. “That was really good, well done.”

“Mmm,” Leah replied, climbing further up him to examine his head, her fingers pulling back his hair. “Your head still bad.”

“It's getting better,” he assured her.

She took a few moments to think about this before she looked at the others who had gathered in the infirmary. “Daddy gonna sleep now,” she informed them decisively.

Everyone grinned, bidding farewell as they made for the door.

“Leah ...” the Doctor began, but was quickly interrupted as Leah found her way under the blanket and snuggled up next to him. “All right then,” he conceded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ei’mina’eon, pohh – I love you, Daddy    
> Tara ei’mina’eon leir, Leah – And I love you too, Leah  
> Je’lei-ia ‘tara’ maya? - What does ‘tara’ mean?


	11. Time Lord and Immortal Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose manages to communicate with them, and the Doctor makes a plan to get her back,

When Leah woke up, her father was still there.

He was sound asleep, so she carefully climbed out from under the duvet, leaving Bundy next to him before slipping off of the bed and padding quietly out of the infirmary door.

She began to make her way to the kitchen, wondering what she could make him for lunch. She only really knew how to make cereal and orange juice, what with the bad experience she'd had a few months ago when she'd tried to make tea and toast and ended up accidentally burning most of her fingers and consequently being forbidden by her parents from making tea or toast ever again.

She reached the kitchen, standing in front of the fridge and looking up at the cupboards thoughtfully for moment, before a sudden shrill beeping sound erupted into life from the direction of the console room. She quickly abandoned what she was doing, running to the console room to find the TARDIS monitor warping and buzzing, trying to get a picture established ... An incoming transmission.

“ _ Doctor? Doctor!” _ a familiar voice yelled as the picture continued to fizzle a myriad of colours.

Leah blinked in surprise. “Mummy?”

“ _ Leah?” _ the screen focussed and Rose appeared, staring into the camera anxiously. “ _ Leah, honey!”  _ A huge smile burst onto her face. “ _ I've only got a few minutes and I need Daddy ...” _

“Okay,” Leah said, and ran back to the infirmary as fast as she could to where her dad was asleep. “Daddy, Daddy wake up,” she implored, clambering up the side to shake him as forcefully as she could.

“Mmm, what?” he asked, half asleep.

“Mummy wants you ...”

He instantly bolted upright, wide awake as he frantically scanned the room. “What?! Where is she?”

“Come on,” Leah said, taking his hand and pulling him off of the bed as fast as he could find his feet, dragging him out the door towards the console room where Rose was waiting patiently on the monitor.

The Doctor stopped dead in his tracks, staring at her with wide eyes. “Rose,” he whispered, Leah still holding onto his hand tightly.

“ _ Stop gawpin', I've only got a few minutes,”  _ Rose said, struggling not to giggle. 

He looked down at Leah, letting go of her hand. “Go wait outside, okay?”

She nodded, obeying without protest at the seriousness in his voice. She ran off to the door and disappeared before the Doctor moved forward, leaning towards the monitor. “Are you okay? What are they doing to you?”

“ _ I'm fine,”  _ Rose said quickly. “ _ They let me have one phone call, though, and I've only got a minute left now so shut up and listen. They're tryin' to take Leah, they're gonna use everythin' they've got, and they know where you are right now. You've gotta hide her. Don't tell me where because they're probably listenin' but hide her before you make a move.” _

“I will,” the Doctor replied, nodding.

“ _ All I know is they're organisin' a care hearin' to try and take her into custody to make it look legal. Whatever they say, don't bring her. Please, Doctor.” _

“I promise you, I won't,” the Doctor said quickly. “They're not going to touch her.”

She smiled. “ _ I miss you both.” _

“We miss you too,” he said, smiling. “Leah!” he called, and within seconds the toddler reappeared, running to his side. He lifted her up to the screen, and she waved happily at her mother.

“Hi, Mummy,” Leah said loudly, giggling. “I look after Daddy so no worry, kay?”

Rose laughed. “ _ Yeah, he needs a lot of attention. You're doin' a good job.” _

“Hey!” the Doctor protested, but Rose was suddenly distracted by something to her side, and she quickly turned back to the camera.

“ _ I've got ten seconds. I love you two, look after each other, I'll see you soon, yeah?” _

“Bye, Mummy!” Leah yelled quickly.

“I love you,” the Doctor said quietly.

“ _ I love you too,”  _ she said before she was cut off in mid-smile, and the screen died to black.

Leah looked at her Dad, her eyes wide. “Mummy coming home soon?”

The Doctor bit his lip, making a decision in the split second as he set her down on the floor, kneeling down and resting his hands on her shoulders. “Tell you what, I'm going to refuel the TARDIS as soon as we're ready, then I'm gonna sort you out, then I'm going to get Mummy back. Okay?”

“Okay!” Leah said happily, reaching up for a hug, to which he obliged.

“Now go and play for a bit while I go talk to Uncle Jack,” he said, kissing her forehead. 

She nodded, and was off in a flash.

* * *

 

When the Doctor was dressed and his hair had been appropriately subdued, he stepped out of the TARDIS and into the Hub, only to find it seemingly empty.

“Jack?” he called, but there was no reply. He scratched the back of his head, stepping forward to angle his head up to look into Jack's office. He wasn't there either.

“Jack?” he tried again, but he was apparently alone. That was until he heard the sound of heavy human breathing from somewhere quite close, and Martha appeared, staring at him with wide eyes.

“Martha!” he said, beaming. “Any idea where Jack is? I wanna ask him ...” he paused, and for the first time actually  _ looked  _ at her. Her eyes were wide and almost crazy, a bead of spittle on her lip ... “You all right?”

The pause in-between this and what happened next was only brief. She dived forward straight onto him, making him topple backwards onto the floor with a surprised yelp until he found himself completely pinned down by a salivating Martha.

“Martha!?” he yelled, trying to push her away but she had the advantage of position. She leant forward and shoved her tongue in his mouth, kissing him deeply with utter carnal passion.

“Mmm-mm!” he protested, trying desperately to get her off. Eventually she pulled away for some air and he took some air too, still staring at her. “Okay,” he breathed. “It's not Martha. Seriously, not Martha ...”

She quickly decided that was enough breathing, and slammed her lips back onto his again.

“Mmmm!” the Doctor writhed, trying to reach for the sonic but his hands were being crushed beneath him.

“There she is!” the voice of an angel suddenly yelled from across the Hub, and moments later Jack appeared with his gun aloft. “Martha!” he yelled, looking at the quite relieved-looking Doctor and struggling not to pause for laughter. “Get out of her and we won't harm you.”

“I need him!” Martha shrieked, running her hands through the Doctor's hair.

“Don't I get a say in this?!” the Doctor yelped, still completely pinned in submission.

“Get out of her!” Jack yelled, his gun still pointing at Martha.

“I NEED HIM, NOW!” Martha screamed, but she was rapidly turning purple, and suddenly gas was ejected out of her and she collapsed into a dead faint. The purple gas hovered for a moment, before noticing the Doctor and moving towards him...

The Doctor tried to reach for the sonic, but it was already too late. The purple gas went straight into him.

“Well,” Jack muttered. “This'll be interesting.”

The Doctor frowned for a moment, gazing at the world around him as if observing it for the first time. He struggled out from under Martha until he managed to get to his feet, all of Torchwood's guns trained on him. 

His eyes flickered over them all, until they rested on Jack. He began to stride forwards until he was a few feet away, and he reached up to Jack's shoulders, staring the immortal man in the eyes ...

“Jack,” he muttered. “I'm going to throw up.”

And true to his word, milliseconds later he lurched and threw up purple slime down Jack's front.

Everyone stood still, staring, as the Doctor braced himself and hit his chest. A little more came out. But that seemed to be it. He drew back from Jack, and ran a tongue along his teeth, testing the taste in his mouth.

“Tasted like kronkburger,” he concluded.

Jack looked at him, and then down at his front. “Thanks,” he muttered, pulling a face of disgust as he ran a finger down his front and stared at the resultant coat of purple slime on his finger.

“What was that?” the Doctor asked, frowning.

“Sex-obsessed possessive gas,” Mickey muttered, staring at the Doctor with wide eyes.

“Is this what Torchwood do all day?” the Doctor wondered. “Chase sex monsters?”

“Pretty much. When we're not  _ having _ sex,” Ianto replied, completely deadpan.

“Right,” the Doctor murmured, pulling a face before skipping over to Martha and helping the disorientated woman onto her feet as Jack quickly unbuttoned his overshirt and threw it at Ianto, who pulled a face of disgust and quickly disappeared to the laundry.

“What just happened?” Martha asked, rubbing her head.

“It'll all come flooding back,” the Doctor assured her, helping her to sit down on the nearest chair before spinning back to Jack, hands in pockets. “Anyway, came to tell you I'm just gonna refuel and head off to get Rose this evening ...”

“Hey, wait,” Jack said quickly, holding up a hand. “You can't refuel.”

“What?”

“We broke the rift manipulator apart the other day,” Jack reminded him. “Anything could happen.”

“But I need to refuel.”

“It'll have to wait,” Jack said.

The Doctor stared at him. “You can't stop me.”

“Well, I'll advise you instead, if you refuel you're gonna cause massive damage to ...”

“No, I'm not,” the Doctor interrupted, almost angry. “You think the rift relies on your manipulator?”

“The majority ...”

“I'm not going to do any damage!”

“Yes, you are!”

“No, I'm not!”

“Why the hell don't you listen to me for once?!” Jack yelled.

“Because I know what I'm doing and I need to refuel to get Leah's mum back!”

“I know what I'm talking about!”

“I don't think you do!” the Doctor yelled back. The other people in the room were just standing there, heads moving back and forth in sync as though watching a tennis match.

“I've maintained this thing for hundreds of years, I know what'll set it off!” Jack shouted angrily.

“I've been alive for 900 years, I think I know a bit more about this than you do!”

“Well, I'm 2300 years old!”

“2000 of them you spent in a grave!”

“I still have more experience!”

“I've got more intelligence!”

“Oh, so is that what this is about!?”

“Yes!”

“So I guess we're all apes again!?”

“Right now, yes!” 

“Oh the superior Time Lord, us mere mortals can only  _ dream _ of reaching his lofty heights ...”

“Oi!” Mickey finally interrupted, stepping in-between them with his arms out. “Time Lord, immortal boy. Chill.”

They both stopped, and looked a bit guilty. 

“I'm sorry,” the Doctor said, hand on his head. “But Rose called me. She said the Shadow Proclamation knows where I am and they're preparing to do what they do best to get Leah. Why do you think I'm wearing this?” He held up a pendant he had around his neck that hadn't been questioned before. “It's to make it harder for them to detect me. Not impossible. Just harder. I have to take Leah somewhere safe and then go and find my pregnant wife before they take them all away from me. I don't care what you say, Jack. My wife, my daughter and my son are in danger and I can't just stand by and watch it happen.”

Jack looked at him sadly for a moment. “It's a boy?”

“Yeah,” the Doctor muttered.

Jack stepped forward and hugged him. “Hey, congratulations.”

The Doctor just nodded. 

Jack drew back, and gazed at him. “Okay,” he muttered. “Do what you need to do.”

“Thank you,” the Doctor said quietly.

“But you're cleaning up the mess.”

“Deal,” the Doctor said, nodding. 

“Excuse me,” came Ianto's voice from the side. Everyone looked over to find him clutching what looked like a spherical black ball, alive with bright blue lights flashing periodically. “It just appeared on the table.”

“Oh no,” the Doctor breathed, staring at it.

“What is it?” Jack asked.

“A summons from the Shadow Proclamation,” the Doctor muttered.

“Guess it's yours, then,” Ianto said, holding it out to the Doctor. The Time Lord took it, taking an affirming breath before setting it down on the floor, where it burst into life. There was a blip of electronic whirring and suddenly a foot-tall holographic woman with white hair and a black dress appeared on top of the sphere.

“ _ This message is for the Time Lord known as 'the Doctor' from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous, confirm recipient?” _

“Confirmed,” the Doctor said, feeling all eyes on him.

“ _ The High Court of the Shadow Proclamation summons you as a defendant for case 606987, a care hearing for the Gallifreyan-Human hybrid known as 'Leah Tyler'. Charges cannot be relayed in the message. What is your representation?” _

“I'll represent myself.”

“ _ Confirmed. You and the hybrid known as Leah Tyler will present yourselves at the High Court of the Shadow Proclamation 10.56/7 Universal time. Failure to present will result in prosecution. This holographic message was brought to you courtesy of Space Port Diners, bringing you the best food of the Universe straight to your local space port for half the price, because every UniCredit helps! Have a nice day.” _

The hologram blipped off.

“They have sponsorship now,” the Doctor muttered, staring at the space it had been. 

“And?” Mickey asked.

“Mickey, the South Wales Police aren't brought to you by McDonalds.”

“Never mind that,” Jack said urgently. “They're fighting you for Leah. What's their case against you?”

The Doctor swallowed. “I'm guessing they're going to try and say I'm neglecting and abusing her ...”

“But that's bullshit.”

The Doctor didn't reply, his eye darting back and forth in the sure signs of his brain rushing at an incredible speed.

“It's a court hearing, right?” Jack said, frowning. “You need witnesses to testify, say what a good dad you are? I'll do it.”

“Me too,” Martha said, stepping forward. “It's the least we can do.”

The Doctor looked between them, gratitude alone shining in his eyes. “It'll be soon. I'll refuel, make sure Leah's in a safe place, and then we go.”

“I'll eat early,” Jack assured him. “Now go and sort everything out. If they're gonna be playing this game then we're gonna beat them at it. Don't worry.”

The Doctor nodded, turned, and walked back into the TARDIS. Seconds later, it disappeared.


	12. Jack Wears a Suit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor leaves Leah with Sarah Jane, and leaves to stand trial at the Proclamation with Jack and Martha.

“Hello ... Sarah? … Yeah, it's me. Umm, can you look after Leah for a while? … I dunno, a few days? … I have to ... No, I'm fine. Can we talk when I get there? … Is today okay? … Good, what's the date? … Ok, I'll see you then, bye.”

He hung up to find Leah standing precariously in the corridor doorway, staring at him without a word.

He offered her a smile. “Come on,” he said, taking her hand and leading her to her bedroom. “Let's get you packed up. You're gonna stay at Auntie Sarah's for a few days. You remember her, don't you?”

Leah nodded as they reached her room. “Why?”

The Doctor sighed, looking at her confused eyes. He picked her up and sat her down on her bed, kneeling down and brushing a lock of stray hair from her eyes.

“You know that I'm going to try and get Mummy back,” he said gently. “But it might be very dangerous, so it's safer for you to stay with Auntie Sarah for a while. And ...” He reached into his pocket and drew out a locket necklace from within, holding it to her. “This is a bio-damper,” he explained. “If you wear this all the time then the bad people won't be able to find you.”

For once, Leah didn’t argue. He placed the locket over her neck and kissed her forehead gently. “Now come on, pick out your favourite toys and I'll pack you some clothes.”

Leah nodded and slipped off the bed, going to her toy chest and rummaging through. 

* * *

 

At 6pm the TARDIS churned into existence in Sarah Jane's attic. Sarah was already on her feet waiting when the Doctor emerged with a backpack in one hand and Leah clutching the other, who was holding a cuddly brown teddy bear in the other arm.

“Hello, Leah,” Sarah greeted gently, kneeling down.

“Hi,” Leah replied with a smile. Sarah smiled at looked up at the Doctor, but he looked beyond exhausted. 

“Chat?” Sarah offered. The Doctor nodded and followed Sarah out the door of the attic, slinging the backpack over his shoulder so he could pick up Leah and carry her down the steep stairs. When they got to the kitchen he placed Leah into one of the chairs and sat in the one beside it, heaving the backpack off again, completely jaded.

“Would you like a drink, Leah?” Sarah asked. “I have some orange juice?”

Leah nodded, holding Bundy close, waving her legs back and forth on the chair. “Yes, please.”

Sarah nodded, moving to fetch a plastic cup from the cupboard. The Doctor didn't say a word as she poured the orange juice and gave it to Leah, who took it greedily and sipped.

“Leah,” the Doctor warned quietly.

“Oh, sorry,” she said, turning to Sarah. “Thank you, Auntie Sarah.”

“You're welcome,” she replied, smiling at the little girl before glancing at the Doctor. “Do you want to go and watch some TV while me and your Daddy talk about boring grown-up stuff?”

“Okay,” Leah replied, clambering out of the chair and lifting her cup of orange juice off of the table with extreme care in both hands, following Sarah out of the door. When Sarah returned the Doctor still hadn't moved, staring at the cooker across the room.

“Doctor?” Sarah asked, taking the seat opposite. 

He finally looked at her. “I'm sorry, Sarah. I didn't know where else to go.”

“It's okay,” she said quickly, resting her hand on his. “You're always welcome here. What's going on?”

The Doctor looked at her sadly, and opened his mouth to explain from start to finish the whole business with the Shadow Proclamation. Sarah's face dropped more and more as he progressed, and she could see that the emotional turmoil was starting to take its toll on the seemingly invincible Time Lord.

“They don't know about you, and I've shielded us all, the TARDIS included, to make sure they can't trace our path. Make sure Leah keeps her necklace on, it's hiding her on a basic level from global bioscans.”

Sarah nodded.

“I can't absolutely guarantee they don't know where she is,” the Doctor continued, “but hopefully they'll be too distracted with me to look too deeply for her.”

Sarah nodded again. “Mr Smith will shield her as well. Don't worry, I'll look after her. Do you want something to eat?”

The Doctor shook his head. 

Sarah looked at him. “No, you're hungry. I'll make you sandwich and some tea. Stay right there.”

* * *

 

After they'd finished catching up and the Doctor had al-but demolished the sandwich and cup of tea, it was almost 7pm. Sarah tidied up and picked up Leah's bag to take upstairs as the Doctor went to put Leah to bed.

He found her lying on the sofa curled up under a blanket fast asleep, the  _ CBeebies Book At Bedtime _ buzzing away on the TV. He smiled gently and leant down to wrap the blanket around her a little more, before picking her up in both arms and cradling her against his shoulder carefully, trying not to wake her up. 

He moved up the stairs, finding Sarah already having unpacked Leah's things with Bundy sitting on the bed waiting to be cuddled. The Doctor laid Leah carefully down on the bed, changing her into her pyjamas as methodically as he could.

He tucked her up in the bed, slipping Bundy in her arms before sitting on the mattress beside her, leaning down to kiss her forehead. He gazed at her for a few moments before getting up, flicking off the light and slipping out the door to join Sarah, closing the door quietly behind him.

Sarah looked at him. “Are you leaving now?” she whispered.

He nodded. 

Sarah offered a supportive smile, leaning forward to hug him. “Good luck. And Leah will be fine.”

“Thank you, Sarah.”

“Don't worry. Now go and find Rose,” she said, letting go of him. “Everything's taken care of, here.”

* * *

 

The Doctor got changed into a black suit and smartened up his hair before he went to pick up Jack and Martha from Torchwood. They were also dressed up, even Jack was out of his usual attire and had made an effort to wear a suit. He looked very odd. 

Jack and Martha followed the Doctor onto the TARDIS, the three of them looking and acting more like they were attending a funeral. The Doctor began to program, glancing at them both with a huge amount of gratitude in his eyes, before his gaze finally rested on Jack.

“Nice suit,” he said, forcing a grin.

Jack smiled in return. “It's Ianto's.”

“Naturally,” the Doctor replied, yanking a lever to make the TARDIS explode into life. Not a word was said once they were in flight, a very tense silence being held between them as they got closer and closer to the Shadow Proclamation.

They landed surprisingly smoothly, obviously the TARDIS knew what was going on, and that absolutely anything could happen. The Doctor looked at his beloved ship for a moment, resting his hand on the console to feel her vibrations running through his hand. He finally pressed a button, and the entire TARDIS fell into blackness with only the backlights aiding any sight.

“Essential running only,” the Doctor muttered in explanation. “Diverting all power to security and extrapolator defence.”

“This isn't gonna be a walk in the park, is it,” Jack stated more than asked.

The Doctor looked at him. “They won't harm either of you, you're not charged with anything and they have no jurisdiction over humanity and planet Earth. Don't worry.”

“I'm not worrying about myself,” Jack muttered quietly, Martha nodding silently in agreement. The Doctor didn't reply to this, merely straightening his tie and making his way over to the TARDIS door. He rested a hand on the handle, taking a deep breath and looking at Martha and Jack as if for confirmation. They both nodded, and he opened the door.

Just as the three stepped through, they found fifteen heavily armed Judoon pointing their weapons collectively at them. The Doctor raised his hands in the air, Jack and Martha following suit.

For a moment there was only silence, before the Judoon crowd parted like a zip down the middle to reveal a red-eyed woman with white hair, a long black dress flowing to the ground. She sauntered towards them to stand in front of the Doctor, looking him up and down judgementally before regarding his companions.

“Where is the hybrid child?” she asked with no trace of warmth in her voice.

“Obviously not here,” the Doctor replied in an equally cold tone of voice, his hands still in the air. 

“Another charge against you,” she noted. 

The Doctor ignored this. “Where's Rose Tyler?”

The woman ignored him in return. “You will be detained until the court can begin with proceedings. Are these your witnesses?”

“Yes.”

“Judoon,” she said, turning to the collection of armed rhinos. “Take the defendant to a holding cell, and take the witnesses to the waiting room.”

The Judoon moved forward to grab the Doctor's arms, pulling him towards the door. He didn't bother struggling – there was very little point. He looked over his shoulder to Jack and Martha, nodding to reassure them before he was dragged out the door.

* * *

 

It was three hours of sitting around waiting in an extremely boring white room until Jack and Martha were approached and escorted to what they could only assume to be the court room. It was absolutely huge and very grand – seats in a circular pattern stretching up high and wide, the judge's table placed on a side curve, and an empty circular platform set in the centre. The room was buzzing with technology far too advanced for both Martha and Jack to even describe, let alone work out the function of.

The many seats were barely filled as the two humans arrived and were shown to theirs, close to the Judge's area. A few more minutes passed before Martha suddenly nudged Jack, pointing across the court room.

“It's Rose!” she whispered.

Jack perked up instantly, looking at the woman sitting directly opposite them, trying to catch her attention with a wave. She was too far away for either of them to tell if she had noticed them, but she hadn't seemed to have waved back.

“Silence!” a grand voice suddenly boomed, and Jack and Martha turned their attentions directly to the owner of the voice – the Judge of the High Court of the Shadow Proclamation. Instantly the court, consisting of less than fifteen people including the Judoon security, fell absolutely silent.

“This is a care hearing for the hybrid human-Gallifreyan child known as Leah Tyler, case number 606987,” the Judge boomed. “Please bring out the defendant.”

Jack and Martha looked around with wide eyes to try and find where the Doctor was sitting, but he didn't seem to be anywhere. Then the door opened and several more Judoon entered, carrying something between them. 

It was then both Jack and Martha both simultaneously realised who the platform in the middle was for, as the Judoon placed a dishevelled-looking Doctor bound by the wrists and ankles straight onto it, a huge cylinder of blue energy suddenly bursting up from the floor around him to presumably contain the Time Lord.

* * *

 

The Doctor looked around with interest, but also deep, deep worry. The High Court was  _ always  _ full. It was a law that the High Court had to be filled – but there was no one here. Why was no one here?

He caught sight of Jack and Martha, who looked really quite uncomfortable in this hugely unfamiliar environment – but he had to admire their bravery for agreeing to do this. They were probably regretting it now.

Then he spotted Rose, sitting perfectly still, staring at him. When he looked at her she seemed to quickly look away as though she didn't want him to see her ...

“The defendant is the Doctor, the last of the Time Lords from the planet of Gallifrey, charged with the attempted murder, abuse and neglect of this child ...”

“What?!” the Doctor gaped, but was only ignored.

“Be quiet, defendant,” the Judge drawled before continuing, “the prosecutor is his wife, Rose Tyler...”

“What?!” the Doctor yelled again, looking across the room to where he could see Rose, rapidly shaking her head, tears in her eyes. But he was completely ignored again. 

“Shock him,” the Judge said dully, and suddenly the blue cylinder of energy pulsed with light and the Doctor felt a sudden seering pain burst through his body as though he'd temporarily been set on fire. He cried out more in surprise than pain, utterly caught off guard before it stopped and he took the time to gather his senses. Shocking the defendant to invoke discipline? Well, that was new. Very new.

The Judge continued with the trial as if nothing had just happened. “Jury, you have seen the evidence, have you reached a verdict?”

The Doctor's eyes widened even further. “Hey! This is an unfair trial! I haven't had a chance to...” 

“Shock him,” the Judge demanded again, and this time it actually  _ hurt. _ They were on the ball, trying to catch up with his pain threshold. It felt longer this time too, or maybe that was just his perception? But when it was finished even the Doctor's head had seemed to start buzzing inside, and it took a few moments for him to realise he was lying on the floor. He didn't want to try and get up.

His eyes flickered to Rose, who was still sat there completely unmoving, tears falling down her cheeks. Something was  _ seriously _ wrong ... 

A single person stood up, straightening his shirt. “I have, your Honour,” he droned, as if he'd rehearsed it a hundred times. “I find the defendant guilty as charged.”

“No! This isn’t fair!” the Doctor heard Jack gasp.

“Very well. Doctor, I sentence you to 5,000 years imprisonment in the high security prison Volag-Noc. However, you will remain here in the Shadow Proclamation in a high security cell for an indefinite length of time for interrogation before being transferred to carry out your sentence. You will have no chance of appeal. The child hybrid shall be found and tested, its sentence impending after investigation. Take him away.”

Jack was on his feet yelling, Martha yelling beside him, but it made no difference. The blue forcefield containing him shut off and he could do nothing but lay there as the Judoon moved forward to grab him bodily and drag him away. 


	13. Walla Walla Bing Bang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor affects an escape from his cell, desperate to find Rose.

Leah was in Sarah Jane's sitting room, passing time by playing with her toys as the TV buzzed with some children's program on CBeebies behind her. She was trying to play the Mr Dinosaur and Mr Bunny game, but it wasn't the same as when her Daddy did it. He always knew what to do and say, but she couldn't do it the same way that he did.

Now both her Mummy  _ and  _ Daddy were gone, and she felt very alone. They had promised that they'd never go away, and they had both gone back on that promise. Were they ever going to come back? Or were they going to leave her here forever? Were they in the same place as Granny? Maybe she would only ever see them on the TARDIS monitor, now ...

She was distracted from thinking as suddenly there was a knock at the door and Auntie Sarah rushed past her in a blur to answer, pulling it open.

“Oh, Phil,” her Auntie said. “Thank you so much for agreeing to do this.”

“Well, I had nothing to do anyway,” a man's voice answered with a slightly nervous laugh as the door closed again and her Auntie and a blond-haired man entered the living room.

“Leah, I've just got to pop out for a couple of hours so Mr Rhodes is going to look after you for a while, is that okay?” Auntie Sarah asked, kneeling down next to the girl.

Leah nodded, and Auntie Sarah gave her a quick hug before getting to her feet.

“Well, have fun you two. I'll be back before five, Phil.”

“Right you are,” Mr Rhodes replied as Sarah quickly rushed out of the room and the front door clicked closed.

Leah looked up at the strange new man who seemed slightly awkward. He looked around for a moment, clearly at a loss for what to do. Silence.

“Can you play the Mr Dinnysaur Mr Bunny game?” Leah asked.

“Err ... no,” Mr Rhodes replied, blushing slightly.

There was more silence.

“I could give it a try?” Mr Rhodes quickly followed up, laughing nervously.

“Okay,” Leah said, handing him the appropriate puppets. He took them, for a moment confused before he slipped them onto his hands and began to speak between them in a squeaky voice.

“Hello Mr Bunny! Hello Mr Dinosaur! How are you today? I am fine, thank you! That's splendid to hear, Mr Bunny, and yourself? I am fine too ...”

Leah stared at him, completely un-entertained. Mr Rhodes looked at her, clearly panicking slightly before he had an idea.

“Mr Dinosaur!” he squeaked. “Do you think Leah can spell cat? Let's start her off ... C ...”

Leah stared at him. “C, A, T,” she said, very uninterested.

“Well done, Leah!” Mr Rhodes praised. “And we'll be super impressed the day you learn to spell catastrophic! But that won't be for a while yet, so ...”

“C, A, T, A, S, T, R, O, P, H, I, C,” Leah said without hesitation.

Mr Rhodes stared at her. “Well aren't you a bright button!” he finally squeaked after a long silent pause. “But can you count to ten?”

Leah stared at him again, still very unimpressed. “Can we not play this anymore?”

Mr Rhodes looked deflated, but all the same, set the puppets down. “So, I've heard your Daddy has a very important job.”

“He saves the Universe,” Leah replied.

Mr Rhodes laughed. “Of course he does,” he said.

“But not Sundays and Wednesdays cos they're playdays, and we practise sums and words on Fridays.”

“I see,” Mr Rhodes said, still smiling. 

“And Daddy says he's gonna teach me his lan-gudge on Monday mornings,” Leah said excitedly.

“His language?” Mr Rhodes repeated. “What country does he come from?”

“Gallifrey.”

Mr Rhodes frowned, clearly assuming it to be a remote island somewhere. “So what's he doing at the moment?”

“He's saving Mummy from loads of rhinos with guns.”

He laughed again. “Yes, those rhinos with guns are very nasty, aren't they?”

“They're scary,” Leah said quietly, recalling the chaos when her Daddy had been shot. 

Mr Rhodes laughed again.

Leah stared at him, tears in her eyes. “Why you laughing? They're real!”

“Oh I'm sorry,” Mr Rhodes said, still smiling. “Of course they're real, Leah,” he said, somewhat insincerely.

“But they are!” Leah protested, looking as though she were about to cry.

“Oh what a brilliant imagination you have!” Mr Rhodes said gleefully, ruffling her hair. 

Leah suddenly stopped being sad and instead got incredibly annoyed as she smoothed down her hair indignantly. “They  _ are  _ real!”

“What other animals have guns, then?” Mr Rhodes asked, smiling encouragingly.

Leah stared at him again. “That's silly. Animals don't have guns.”

Mr Rhodes blinked. “Umm ... no.”

Leah stared at him some more, silently judging him. The silence resumed.

* * *

 

The Doctor had been dragged into a tiny dank cell, his hands clamped to the wall and his legs fixed to the ground. They weren't taking any chances. Because he hadn't brought Leah with him they were going to interrogate him, and with the corruption he'd seen in the court alone he knew they weren't going to play fair. 

But he also knew that despite anything they did to him, he wasn't going to say where she was. 

And why had Rose been the one prosecuting him? Why had she not said anything? The Shadow Proclamation had done something to her, he knew it.

But now would he ever see Rose again?

Even Houdini hadn't taught him how to get out of situations of this magnitude, so he just sat there with his eyes closed, still trying to work it all out. It was a few minutes until he heard the heavy sound of synchronised Judoon footsteps, and the door unbolted. He opened his eyes to find three of them staring at him from above, one of them holding a document.

“Doctor,” it gruffed, reading from the page. “You have twenty four hours to tell the Shadow Proclamation the whereabouts of the child hybrid. After this length of time the Proclamation will invoke article 11 of the Shadow Proclamation, which outlines the lawful use of excessive force to prosecuted felons under charges of great magnitude. Do you wish you impart information?”

“No, thank you,” the Doctor replied, bored.

“You will be approached again in one hour.”

“See you then,” the Doctor answered cheerily.

The Judoon said nothing more, two of the three marching out of the door. The other one with a helmet on stood still for a moment before suddenly turning on its heel and marching over to the Doctor, kneeling down. It outstretched a hand, and for a moment the Doctor half expected a punch in the face but instead the hand reached out to cup his cheek.

“Jack?” he whispered.

The Judoon helmet gave one quick, sharp nod. He felt something being pressed into his hand and a quiet voice came through the helmet.

“Floor 5, room 39.”

The Doctor nodded as Jack got up and turned, disappearing out the door. Seconds later it bolted shut.

The Doctor looked at the thing in his hand, and breathed a sigh of relief. The sonic screwdriver. He grinned, buzzed his hands and feet free, before jumping up and brushing himself down. He moved over to the door and scoured the exterior through the porthole window, before buzzing the door and moving off.

* * *

 

Due to the amount of times he'd been in this kind of situation before, the Doctor reached floor five within ten minutes. He knew he had to work quickly, he only had an hour until the Proclamation realised he had gone – one hour to find Rose, Jack and Martha and the TARDIS – which was fifty minutes, now.

Floor five seemed to be absolutely packed, tens of lifeforms rushing around in white uniforms, pushing wheelchairs and carrying metal trays of equipment in and out of doors. Was this the hospital floor? Was this where Rose was? Only one way to find out. And if he walked out like this he would surely be noticed.

He spotted a wheelchair just across the corridor, and an indent in the wall directly opposite. He covertly glanced around for any form of surveillance before diving into the indent, whipping off his jacket and dumping it on the floor. He unfastened the buttons on his shirt and redid did three of them up wrongly, before pulling his tie up and tightening it around his head. He took off one of his socks and shoes and threw that in the corner too, and then tucked his trouser leg into the sock he was wearing and pulling up one of his sleeves. He glanced down at himself, and hummed approvingly. Certified lunatic.

He was about to move off when he realised he didn't have his sonic screwdriver. He retrieved it from his abandoned jacket, and then shoved it into his boxers. He rolled back his shoulders, assuming the appropriate stance before stepping out and lumbering to the wheelchair.

He finally dropped into the chair and wheeled himself towards the mass of crowd. Several people looked at him oddly, so he looked back at them with wide staring eyes and giggled insanely. He parked himself in the middle of the crowd, looking around before he closed his eyes and started to dance to utterly no music.

It wasn't long until someone noticed him and he felt a tap on his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see a nurse staring down at him.

“Sir? Are you all right?” she asked.

“I love this song!” the Doctor yelled happily, still dancing. “Ooo eee, ooo ah ah, ting tang, walla walla, bing bang! Ooo eee, ooo ah ah, ting tang, walla walla, bing bang!”

“Yes, sir,” the nurse said kindly, staring at him with her eyebrows raised. “Can you tell me what ward you were in?”

“I can't hear you!” the Doctor shouted loudly. “You'll have to turn down the music!”

“Of course, sir,” the nurse said calmly, taking the handles of his wheelchair and pushing him through the crowds towards the reception desk, calling over one of the other nurses.

“One's escaped from psychiatrics,” she said.

“Psychiatrics?!” the Doctor yelled over his imaginary music. “I think I went there on holiday once!”

“Do you know your name, sir?” the nurse on the other side of the desk asked, checking the data terminal.

“I kissed a girl and I liked it!” the Doctor sang in reply, intently looking at the map on the wall.

“No, then,” the nurse said to herself, both of the nurses now deeply engrossed in what was on the data terminal. The Doctor took his opportunity, checking one last time the quickest route to room 39 from where he was before glancing at the oblivious nurses, and slipping into the crowd.

He adjusted himself to look respectable on the way. By the time he had emerged into the rows of rooms numbered 30-40 he looked vaguely sane, and was on high alert. From the signs he knew this wing was for “conditional case therapy”. Rose was here. What did conditional case therapy actually mean?

It was dark silent in this wing of the hospital – he couldn't see any medical staff around. And to add to that, blue light seemed to be emitting from the rooms' tiny windows. This was not good. He didn't even need to consult his 'not good' instinct to know it was not good.

All the same, he moved quietly up the wing, checking the door numbers as he progressed. Thirty-six ... thirty-seven ... thirty-eight ... thirty-nine.

He checked the surrounding area for any unwanted onlookers, before pulling back the bolt and stepping inside, eyes adjusting before he suddenly caught sight of his wife lying on the bed facing away from him.

“Rose!” he called lowly, closing the door quietly behind him. Instantly she turned over, her eyes lighting up. He ran over to her and practically threw himself on her, holding her tightly. “Leah's safe, I promise, sorry it took so long.” He kissed her, but she didn't seem to be kissing him back. He pulled way, looking at her in confusion. She gestured to her mouth. The Doctor frowned, reaching up to examine her mouth. He tried pulling apart her lips, but it was as though they were stuck together ...

He whipped out the sonic screwdriver, running it over her lips. Confirmed presence of dentadhe paste ... Otherwise known as gum glue. The Doctor stared in absolute horror at her. Dentadhe paste was only used medically for injuries and conditions that required complete immobilisation of the jaw for recovery. 

Suddenly everything made sense. To make it look good the Shadow Proclamation had listed Rose, the defendant's wife, as the prosecution, and in the court room she would have been the only one with both the power and the will to stop proceedings. So they had quite literally made her keep her mouth shut, using methods that were equated to torture – and completely against their own laws.

“I'm sorry,” the Doctor muttered, kissing her again and pressing his forehead to hers. “Talk in your mind.”

A mess of clashing thoughts came through, muddled and panicked.

“No, think the words,” the Doctor said calmly. “You'll get the hang of it.”

“ _ Doctor.” _

“That's it,” he encouraged.

“ _ I couldn't stop them.” _

“It's not your fault,” he replied, wrapping his arms around her. “This is beyond corrupt.”

“ _ Where's Leah?” _

“Safe,” he replied. “But we have about forty minutes until they realise I've gone.”

“ _ Get out of here.” _

“I'm not leaving you again,” he said calmly. “You're coming with me.”

“ _ I can't leave.” _

“Why not?”

In reply she held up her arm, and he saw a metal ring around her wrist. He tried the sonic on it, but it was deadlocked. His hearts sank. 

“Is the perimeter electrified?” he asked quietly.

“ _ Yes.” _

He nodded in acknowledgement, but could feel himself burning up with resentment. If he couldn't remove the metal band, there was absolutely no way he could get her out. “I'm so sorry.”

“ _ It's okay. I love you.” _

“I love you too.”

“ _ Keep Leah safe. Good luck.” _

“I've got forty minutes. I'm not leaving you yet,” the Doctor said.

Rose coaxed him to sit on the bed, straddling him to hug him as tightly as she could. He held her in return, but her hands were wandering up his back, and she pressed a finger straight between his shoulder blades.

He squirmed, pulling back to rest his forehead on hers again. “Seriously?” he asked. “Now? Here?”

“ _ Why not?” _

“Kind of a weird place, isn’t it? Does gum glue and an electrified perimeter turn you on?”

_ “No, you do.” _

“But I don’t have my notebook,” the Doctor protested. “I’ll be all out of order.”

She pressed into his back again, as if trying to hurry him up.

“Okay, okay, I'm doing it,” the Doctor said, pulling off his trousers obediently and getting on with it.

 


	14. Six Foot One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor has to leave Rose, and heads back to Earth with Jack and Martha, but the Proclamation have got there first.

The alarms rang out. The Doctor stopped what he was doing and snapped to attention, frowning. It couldn't have been forty minutes already. Unless he'd  _ really  _ lost track of time.

“I think that's me,” he muttered breathlessly, looking down at his wife spread out beneath him and pressing his forehead to hers. “I've got to go.”

“ _ I needed that.” _

“You’re welcome,” he said, diving for his clothes. She watched him get dressed, struggling to catch her breath through her immobolised jaw. When he was fully-clad he moved back to her, kissing her and resting a hand on her belly. It wasn't visible yet – a blessing in disguise. If the Shadow Proclamation found out there was another child there was no telling what they would do.

“Look after him,” the Doctor said quietly.

“ _ It's a boy?” _

“Yep.”

Her eyes lit up. “ _ How can you tell?” _

“Paternal bond wants me to buy footballs and shorts,” he joked.

She giggled through her teeth. “ _ Go, now.” _

“I  _ will _ come back.”

“ _ I know, now go before they catch you.” _

He kissed her again. “Bye,” he said, forcing himself to pull away from her and back towards the door, offering a wan smile before pulling open the door, checking the area, and running off.

* * *

 

He had been right. It hadn't been forty minutes, only twenty. They must've checked in-between. This revelation proved a point, but it wasn't exactly helpful as the entire place flashed red lights and sirens wailed around him. 

“ _ Escaped prisoner from cell block D5,”  _ a voice on a tannoy said loudly and clearly over the din. “ _ Guards be alert for a 6 foot brown-haired humanoid. Escaped prisoner from cell block D5. Guards be alert for a 6 foot brown-haired humanoid.” _

“Six foot one,” the Doctor corrected under his breath, heading for where he could sense the TARDIS' presence. He just hoped Jack and Martha had the sense to go back there to wait for him.

He passed six platoons of marching Judoon on the way, having two very close calls. He still had his bio-damper pendant on, which was probably making it slightly more difficult for them, but whatever protection he had wouldn't last for much longer, and neither would Leah's. He had to move, and very quickly.

He finally made it to some kind of evidence storage unit, and after a bit more sonic trickery he managed to get into it without being noticed. Within seconds of looking he saw the TARDIS, standing waiting in the centre of piles of crates. And right next to it were Jack and Martha, looking a bit bored before they both simultaneously noticed him.

“Take your time!” Jack exclaimed over the sirens still wailing. “Where's Rose?”

“Get in the TARDIS,” the Doctor said quickly, glancing nervously over his shoulder to check no one was around before clicking his fingers, and the doors flew open. He ushered them inside before securing the door and running to the console, bringing her back up to full power with his hands flying over the buttons.

“She couldn't leave,” the Doctor muttered. “They've ... They've completely broken pretty much every single law they've written. They've used her as the prosecution to put me in a really bad light and get me locked away so it makes it easier for them to get Leah. And to make sure Rose plays by their rules they've ... used dentadhe paste on her.”

Jack's eyes widened. “But that's ...”

“I know,” the Doctor replied shortly.

“What's that?” Martha asked.

“Gum glue,” Jack replied whilst the Doctor continued to program. “Me and my brother used to nick it and put it in sweets for a practical joke. It cements your mouth together completely.”

Martha looked between Jack and the Doctor, her eyes wide. 

The Doctor caught her look. “It's only temporary, but it's a complete encroachment on basic rights, taking away her speech. They're only authorised to use that if she's damaged her jaw and it needs immobilising for repair. They're breaking every law they've ever written. And they're keeping her in a room with a wristband that'll kill her if she steps out of the door. I couldn't get it off. I had to leave her.”

“This is disgusting,” Martha said, almost angry. “And you say they're supposed to be the police of the Universe? The highest authority?”

“What the hell are they playing at?” Jack grated. 

“Getting out was too easy as well,” the Doctor continued after acknowledging their comments with a nod. “It's like they're falling apart. This is an extremely high security complex and me, a prosecuted felon, just waltzed out the door.”

“But you're safe on Earth?” Martha pointed out. “You said they have no jurisdiction. They had to move the hospital to the moon to get that woman fugitive.”

“I don't think they care about that anymore,” the Doctor muttered darkly. “They just want me locked up or preferably dead, and I don't even want to think what they'll do to Leah when they get her since they're going to all this trouble for one little girl. They must want her for a reason, I don't know what, but I think we know it's not to give her cookies.”

“What are you going to do?” Jack asked as they landed on Earth with a thump.

“Wish I knew,” the Doctor muttered, closing his eyes for a moment and drawing a deep breath to try and compose himself, but he was visibly trembling. “I'm so angry ...”

Jack quickly moved forward to rest a hand on the Doctor's shoulder. “It'll be all right. They don't know about your boy yet, do they?”

The Doctor shook his head. “But how long till they notice?” he croaked.

Neither Martha nor Jack got the chance to answer that as suddenly the TARDIS monitor burst into life, fizzling and crackling until the picture of the woman with red eyes and white hair came on screen, Judoon standing behind her.

“ _ This is a message for the lifeforms of Earth!”  _ she buzzed, her voice echoing around the interior. “ _ This is the Shadow Proclamation! We are the police of the Universe, and your planet is now under our control!” _

The Doctor stared. “It's broadcasting all over Earth, every single screen ...”

“ _ Do not be afraid! If you comply, we will not harm you! We are searching your planet for an alien fugitive by the name of the Doctor, and his daughter known by the name of Leah Tyler!” _

“Oh my god,” Martha whispered, staring at the Doctor. “They've got control of Earth ...”

The Doctor didn't even bother listening to the rest of the message. “Leah,” he simply said, programming for Sarah's. They landed with a thump and the Doctor, forgetting he didn't have any shoes on as he ran out of the doors into Sarah's house.

“Sarah!” he yelled, but the attic was empty. He burst out of the door and almost fell down the stairs in his hurry until he managed to reach the bottom. Just as he saw Leah and a blond-haired man sitting in the living room, the front door burst open to reveal Sarah.

“Doctor!” she yelled, running to him. “They're coming for you!”

“They'll know where we are,” the Doctor breathed, looking at Leah who was already on her feet and running to him to hug the stuffing out of him. The blond-haired man however, was staring at the TV in utter disbelief.

“Rhinos!” he yelped, pointing at the screen. “Rhinos with guns!”

Then he seemed to notice the Doctor standing there, being hugged by Leah. He put two and two together ...

“You!” he yelled, stumbling to his feet. “Doctor! Leah! Rhinos! Guns! It's you!”

“Sorry, I just don’t have time for hysterical humans right now,” the Doctor said quickly, picking up Leah to hold her protectively. 

“Leave my planet right now!” the man demanded, stumbling to his feet. “You alien criminal! Leave us alone!”

The Doctor ignored him as Jack and Martha reached the bottom of the stairs. He handed Leah to Jack. “Get her into the TARDIS,” he said quickly. “Martha, can you get Leah's stuff? First on the right.”

She nodded and quickly ran up the stairs. Jack was about to follow suit, when Leah burst into tears.

“Bundy!” she wailed. 

The Doctor dived for the bear on the floor next to the hysterical Mr Rhodes, handing her to Leah who clung on tightly. “Okay. Jack, go!”

Jack obliged, running with Leah back to the TARDIS. Suddenly the house shook in something akin to an earthquake and everyone dived for something to grab. There came the sound of roaring engines from overhead. The Judoon were here.

“I've got him!” Mr Rhodes yelled to no one in particular, and dived onto the Doctor, feet and fists flying.

“Get off!” the Doctor yelled, struggling to push the human off as Sarah dived forward to drag the man off of the Time Lord. Quickly Mr Rhodes realised trying to hold him down was fruitless, so instead he jumped to his feet and ran towards the door with his arms flailing, screaming, “HE'S HERE! HE'S HERE!” before he smacked straight into a low ceiling beam he'd failed to notice in his hysteria and collapsed unconscious to the floor.

For a moment there was a blissful silence as Sarah ignored her unconscious neighbour, and helped the Doctor to his feet.

“Quick, leave,” she said, giving him a fleeting hug. From afar they could hear the synchronised march of Judoon footsteps heading slowly but steadily in their direction.

“I can't leave you here to deal with them,” the Doctor said quickly.

“I'll be fine,” she assured him. “Go now, get out of here.”

He finally nodded, glancing out the window. He could see the black figures turning into Sarah's drive.

“Bye,” he said quickly, and turned to flee. He heard the door crash open the moment he reached the attic door, but he forced himself to keep going, mentally listing all the reasons Sarah could handle herself in his head as he opened it and went into the TARDIS.

He began to program, hearing Leah crying loudly and Jack trying to shush her, but it wasn't working. He finally got them into flight as the TARDIS churned.

“Daddy, what happening?” Leah sobbed, holding Bundy tightly.

“In a minute, okay?” the Doctor said as his mind rushed. He didn't know where to go. The Proclamation knew about Torchwood, knew about Sarah's, could probably track the TARDIS  _ and  _ him and Leah if they wanted to, and the longer he sat in the vortex the easier it would be for them to track the TARDIS ...

“Okay, everyone, be quiet,” the Doctor instructed, dropping down onto the floor. “I need to think.”

He closed his eyes as everyone fell quiet. His mind flickered through a million possibilities, but none of them would protect Leah for long. As he continued to think he suddenly felt a dab of a kiss on his cheek and he looked to see Leah, her eyes shining with tears, but she was smiling positively. She looked just like Rose.

He realised whatever his priorities were, he needed to check Leah first.

“Are you okay?” he asked the girl, pulling her to sit in his lap.

“I'm scared,” she admitted quietly.

“I know,” the Doctor replied. “I am a little bit too.”

“You'll think of something,” Leah replied, smiling.

He laughed. “Hopefully.” He paused, stroking back the toddler's hair. “Mummy said she loves you.”

“Where Mummy?” Leah wondered.

“I couldn't get her out. But we talked and she said to keep you safe, so that's what I'm doing. I need to think of something to make sure you won't get hurt, else Mummy and Granny will slap me all the way to Melissa Majoria.”

Leah giggled. “Are all the Joodoom chasing us, now?”

“Yeah,” the Doctor muttered quietly. “But don't worry about a thing. I'm not going to let anything happen to you.”

“Else Mummy and Granny be mad,” Leah reiterated.

He grinned. “Yep. And I might be a bit sad.”

She giggled. “Ei’mina’eon, pohh.”

He beamed, but then suddenly froze, his eyes widening. “Oh Leah, you're a  _ genius!”  _ he yelled, jumping to his feet and kissing her, setting her down on the floor. “Of course! Jack!”

“Hmm?”

“Can you trace where a parcel came from?”

“Probably,” Jack replied. “Why?”

The Doctor looked between Jack and Martha as Leah quickly slipped her hand into her father's, looking up at him. “I ... Need to find where the Master is.”

Martha and Jack stared at him in horror. “What?” Martha asked.

“I need his help. I think I can convince him,” the Doctor said, already programming for Torchwood. 

“The Master's help? Are you  _ completely  _ mad?” Martha yelped.

“Trust me,” the Doctor said as they landed in Torchwood. He looked at Jack, pointing to the door. “Jack, you've got ten minutes before the Shadow Proclamation get here. Move!”


	15. Granny Jones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack, Leah and the Doctor head off on the dangerous drive to get to the Master.

The Doctor got changed back into a brown suit, converse and his coat and made sure Leah was fed while he waited for Jack. Martha had opted to go and help Torchwood trace the parcel's origin, leaving the Doctor and Leah to monitor the Earth news.

So much for appreciation. He'd saved this planet more times than he could remember and at the first sign of trouble they had issued a global alert to find him and his two-year-old daughter. With the Judoon searching for him and every pair of eyes of humanity also searching for him, he was truly a fugitive on this tiny blue planet he loved so much.

The Master was his only chance. So long as he could convince the Master to protect Leah, he would be free to go back to the Shadow Proclamation to try and sort this all out. He didn't quite know how yet, but he'd figure it out. He was good at that.

But the Shadow Proclamation had gone too far. They'd corrupted the trial, stopped Rose talking, kept her imprisoned and now they had just openly broadcasted a lightly disguised threat to a level five planet that was only just beginning to accept the existence of aliens. They weren't the police anymore. They were all criminals. And the Doctor knew that if he didn't sort them out, they were never going to leave him and his family alone. They'd be fugitives for the rest of their lives. He'd probably never see Rose again ...

He just hoped the Master would for once in his life do something nice.

Jack came into the room holding a piece of paper, grinning. The Doctor looked up.

“Did you find him?”

Jack beamed. “You're gonna love this. It was sent from a place called Daufor.”

“Where's that?”

“Just north of here in Wales, about 150 miles away. Very, very remote. I've checked the local directory and I've got a house address.”

The Doctor stared at him. “He lives in Wales,” he surmised disbelievingly.

Jack grinned. “And the best bit? He's going by the name Harold Saxon.”

“... And no one's noticed he's the dead ex-Prime Minister?”

“Oh come on, you know the UK,” Jack said. “If you were at any point in time a British Prime Minister and you don't want anyone to recognise you – go to Wales.”

The Doctor had to concede. “All right. But I can't go in the Tardis, the Shadow Proclamation will be able to detect her the minute I'm in flight.”

“I'll drive you, it's a four hour trip,” Jack said. “But you'll need a disguise.”

The Doctor's brow furrowed. “Will I?”

“There's going to be Judoon and police all along the roads. The moment anyone recognises you, we don't stand a chance,” Jack pointed out truthfully.

“Yeah,” the Doctor said after a moment, nodding. “What should I wear?”

“I'll get you something,” Jack assured him. “Get ready to leave, Mickey's scattered signals so we've got another ten minutes, but then they'll be here.”

* * *

 

PC Steve Lockley had just begun his late shift of the newly erected police check along the A470 into Gelilydan. He wasn't fully convinced, to be honest. If this alien murderer thing _was_ hiding on Earth, why the heck would it be driving a car into north Wales?

But it seemed serious. The North Wales Police were on red alert, as was every single other police force in the world. At first the transmission had seemed like a joke, but it was about the time the spaceships landed and rhinos with guns stepped out that Steve had had to admit that maybe it might be real.

The existence of aliens was still a very new thing to truly accept into his mind-scape, but frankly, nothing could surprise him these days. What with shop window dummies coming to life, and that spaceship flying into Big Ben, then the rock ship on Christmas day, those weird metal robots that appeared along with the ghosts, the Christmas Star shooting people, that hospital apparently going to the moon, the weird thing with that crazy Lazarus scientist, the white blobs, ATMOS, Earth moving, the disappearing bus, that fizzy drink and not to mention all the weird rumours from Cardiff... he was surprised the aliens hadn't just walked into his house and shagged his wife in front of him.

But here he was, checking cars for a fugitive alien. They didn't even have a photo to go on, but he assumed he was looking for something with tentacles – or at least something sticking out of its head.

A black SUV pulled up at the checkpoint and he halted it, walking over to the window. It came down to reveal an old woman in a shawl that was covering her head, wearing black sunglasses and a blanket over her legs in the passenger seat, with the driver a youthful looking man with black hair wearing a very distinctive World War 2 coat. In the back was a young girl with brown hair, apparently fast asleep.

“Good evening sir, ma'am, can I take your names, please?” he said, bringing out his notebook.

“I'm Jack Jones, this is my Grandma, Audrey Jones, and that's my daughter in the back, Lillith Jones,” man in the driving seat said with a charismatic smile.

“Very nice to meet you, young man!” the old woman croaked, extending out a feeble gloved hand.

“You too, Mrs Jones,” Steve replied, lightly shaking the hand. “Sorry to hold up your journey, but with the alien fugitive we've been instructed to check all cars at this checkpoint.”

“Oh, those aliens!” Mrs Jones croaked, exasperated. “They're bloody everywhere now, aren't they? I never had all these aliens back in my day!”

“You lived through both World Wars, didn't you Gran?” Mr Jones said happily.

“Oh really?” Steve asked, interested. “How old are you, Mrs Jones?”

“I'm 94-years-old!” Mrs Jones told him happily.

“You're very sprightly for such a great age, Mrs Jones,” Steve noted, smiling.

“Eat your greens, young man!” Mrs Jones told him sternly. “I wouldn't want a handsome young man such as yourself to lose that face!”

“Oh Gran, stop embarrassing me,” Mr Jones said, facepalming.

“Just because I'm ninety-four I can't admire a handsome young man?”

“I'm sorry,” Mr Jones said apologetically to the officer. “She's always like this.”

“Gosh, he's rude isn't he!” Mrs Jones said, lightly slapping her grandson around the head who winced and rubbed his head. “I'll tell you why, they just don't raise 'em the same way these days, do they! Back in my day if I went out of order my father would give me a caning, I can tell you! Why, I remember when Jack came out of his mother, she was screaming and bits of things were dripping from ...”

“Gran,” Mr Jones interrupted. “I don't think the nice police officer wants to hear about this, does he?”

“Oh,” Mrs Jones said with a sigh. “People just don't have time for a chat these days, do they? Back in _my_ day ...”

Mr Jones cleared his throat, speaking over his grandmother to Steve. “Are we okay to go through, sir?”

Steve looked between the currently ranting grandmother, her grandson and the sleeping toddler in the back. “Yes, you're all cleared. Have a safe journey.”

“Thank you,” Mr Jones replied with a smile and Steve moved to lift the barrier, letting them drive on. Even as the car moved off, he could still her Mrs Jones ranting away about how rude it had been to pull away without giving her the chance to say good bye to the nice policeman. He smiled, shaking his head in utter bemusement before he moved to the next waiting car.

* * *

 

Jack was laughing uncontrollably as they carried on to Daufor.

“Oh God,” he croaked through the laughter. “You're a genius.”

The Doctor grinned, adjusting his shawl. “I'll have you know I won an Oscar once.”

“Yeah right,” Jack scoffed, still laughing.

“I did!” the Doctor insisted.

“Daddy?” a voice suddenly came from the backseat, and the Doctor looked over the back of the seat to see her sitting up, rubbing her eyes. “Daddy, I want to go to bed.”

“Did you try sleeping in the car?”

“Not comfy,” she said quietly, looking slightly teary.

“Jack, can you pull over a sec?” the Doctor asked and Jack nodded, pulling into the next side road to find a conveniently placed pub car park. He stopped and the Doctor got out, moving to the boot to retrieve the cushion and the blanket before climbing into the middle seat next to Leah, belting himself up beside her and covering her with the blanket. He placed the cushion against his side for her to safely lean against, wrapping his arms around her to protect her.

She snuggled against the cushion, clinging onto his arm.

“How's that?” he asked.

“Comfy,” she said, closing her eyes.

“All right?” Jack asked.

“Yep,” the Doctor replied, and Jack pulled off again.

“Not long to go,” Jack assured them. “About an hour away.”

“Can I have a story?” Leah asked sleepily, still holding onto her Dad's arm.

“What kind of story?”

“A you and Mummy one.”

He mused for a moment. “Where did we get to?”

“Mummy got lost in the void thingy,” she said.

He nodded. “Well, after she got lost, I was a bit sad so I spent a long time trying to make myself happy. That's when I met your Auntie Martha, and she is brilliant, but I couldn't stop thinking about your Mummy. It took a very long time until I saw her again, but then the Daleks... You remember the Daleks?”

She nodded.

“Well the big boss man of the Daleks was trying to destroy the Universe, and to do that he'd just pick up the Earth and moved it somewhere else. I got a bit lost trying to find it, but when I did it was a bit damaged. So I was standing in a street trying to figure out what was going on, when I turned, and suddenly I saw your Mummy, standing there in the darkness looking straight at me ...” He paused, gazing into the distance with a smile on his face. “She smiled, and she just seemed to light up like an angel. She was so pretty that I forgot how to breathe for a moment. Eventually I realised I had feet, so I started running to her, and she ran to me, then ...” he trailed off.

“Then what?” Leah urged, blinking her eyes and looking up at him.

“We saved the Universe together of course,” he said, grinning. “Then I decided that I was never going to lose her ever again. A little bit later, we had you.”

“How?”

“What?”

“How did you have me?”

The Doctor heard a suppressed snigger from the front that could only belong to a listening Jack Harkness. He wasn’t sure why. “Well, there’s this thing called reproduction, and in humans there’s males and females. The males have a peni–”

Jack cleared his throat loudly, and shot him a look in the mirror that the Doctor had come to recognise as the ‘you’re-being-hugely-inappropriate-for-your-toddler’ look.

The Doctor tried again. “I mean, the males have a ... perogative to find an attractive female that …”

Jack cleared his throat again.

“What?” the Doctor asked seriously.

“I think what Daddy’s trying to say is that it’s late and you need to go to sleep,” Jack said helpfully.

“But Daddy ...” Leah began.

The Doctor nodded quickly. “Go to sleep, we'll be there soon.”

“Okay,” Leah replied, snuggling against the pillow again and closing her eyes.

The Doctor looked at Jack.

“You seriously need to stop looking at sex as a scientific process,” Jack commented quietly.

“But it is,” the Doctor insisted. "Why are humans so coy about it?"

Jack sighed as the car drove on.

* * *

 

An hour later, they pulled up outside a house in Daufor, and Jack pointed.

“That one,” he said.

The Doctor nodded, taking off his disguise. He checked Leah was comfortable before he jumped out of the SUV and leant in Jack's window.

“Give me fifteen minutes,” he said.

“Here,” Jack said, digging into his pocket and bringing out the phone that had originally belonged to Martha, handing it to the Doctor. “I'll call you at quarter past if you haven't come out.”

The Doctor nodded, shoving it into his inside jacket pocket.

“Good luck,” Jack said. “And by the way - I still think you're crazy.”

“I know,” the Doctor replied. “Thanks.”

He turned on his heel, checked for any potential onlookers, and started up the path to the Master's front door.


	16. The Debt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and the Master discuss their childhood; the Doctor desperate to convince his old friend to help him.

 

The front garden was a bit of a mess, the Doctor noted as his footsteps crunched across the gravel, lonely in the still night air. The bushes on the edge were out of control and a couple of very sad-looking gnomes were trying to fish concrete to the sides of the path. He reached the front door, taking a breath before he reached up and knocked three times.

There was a brief pause before the handle turned and the door swung inward to reveal the Master standing there, in a t-shirt and jeans. He froze at the sight of the Doctor. 

For a moment there was just silence.

“You're blond,” the Doctor said, staring at him.

“You're standing on my doorstep,” the Master responded, staring at him in return.

Another lengthy silence.

“Can I come in?” the Doctor asked, hands in his pockets.

“... All right,” the Master finally answered, clearly not knowing what else to do. The Doctor stepped through the doorway and glanced around the house as the Master shut the door behind him.

The Master beckoned him through the hallway. “Sorry the place is a bit messy. That's what humans say, right?”

The Doctor stared at him, before following him into a large, well-decorated sitting room where the TV was buzzing away in the background. The Master cleared a dog off of the settee, who barked in disgruntlement and moved to nap on the floor instead. The Master gestured for the Doctor to take the clear seat, before standing there, slightly awkward.

“Umm ... Do you want a beer or something?” he asked, as if not really sure what he was offering exactly.

“No, thanks,” the Doctor replied, still staring around at the house, struggling to compute. “You have a house ... and a dog.”

“He's called Cujo.”

“You're cultured.”

“Well, I realised I had nowhere to go so I thought I'd try the human life again since you're so big on it. It's been fun so far. Did you meet the neighbours? Lovely couple. Can barely understand their accent. They just can't place my face.”

“Hmm,” was all the Doctor replied to that.

The Master sat down on the other settee, gazing at the Doctor. “How did you find me?”

“Traced your parcel.”

“Ah,” the Master muttered. 

They fell into silence.

“Look at us,” the Doctor suddenly said, resisting the urge to laugh. “I've got a human wife and a child and you've got a house on Earth and a dog called Cujo.” He paused, looked at the floor, then back at the Master. “I never imagined it would be like this.”

“You getting sentimental on me?” the Master wondered.

“No, really. Do you remember when we were kids? We wanted to grow up to travel the universe ...”

“We did,” the Master pointed out.

“Not together.”

“Well, that wouldn't have worked.”

The Doctor laughed. “Suppose not. But you were pilot, I was co-pilot. I've still got our plans, somewhere.”

“You kept them?”

The Doctor scratched his head awkwardly. “I suppose I thought one day it might still happen.”

The Master smirked. “And when did you give that dream up?”

“After about the third time you tried to kill me.

The Master laughed. “Oh, good times, they were.”

The Doctor smiled slightly, and pressed on. He seemed to be getting through. “Do you remember when we were kids, the prank on Cardinal Sendok with the scrubbler?”

The Master recalled it with a laugh – a genuine laugh of happiness at a long forgotten memory. The Doctor hadn't seen that for almost 900 years. “He was so shocked he had a hearts attack and regenerated!”

The Doctor laughed with him. “The look on his face, I still remember that!”

“That was the best prank of the lot.”

“Everyone said it was you,” the Doctor continued, grinning. “But I said it had been me, and they believed me.”

“I didn't see you for four months,” the Master recalled, remembering things he'd long forgotten. “You never said what happened.”

The Doctor looked at the floor again, suddenly uncomfortable. The atmosphere quickly changed. “I was … disciplined.”

The Master's smile quickly died on his face. “How so?”

“I still have the marks,” the Doctor said quietly. “Skin pigmentation throughout all of my bodies.”

The Master stared at him for a moment, a kind of sadness in his eyes that now seemed so unfamiliar. “Can I see?” he asked.

The Doctor nodded and unbuttoned his jacket, pulling up his shirt to expose his abdomen. “They're faint, but still there.”

The Master leant forward, and peered at the myriad of white lines that Rose had noticed so quickly before. His eyes widened. He then gestured for the Doctor to turn around, where the Doctor knew there were even more on his back. They were all over his body.

“Oh,” he breathed. “I never realised. I didn’t notice.”

“You didn't know,” the Doctor replied, somewhat cheerily considering the situation as he lowered his shirt again.

“Why didn't you tell me?” the Master asked, the gentleness in his tone one the Doctor barely recognised. It was hard to know what the Master was thinking or feeling. Was he sympathetic? Or was he laughing inside? He hoped to Rassilon it was the former.

“They made me promise not to tell anyone what they did,” the Doctor said quietly. “I was so scared that I never told anyone. Not for 900 years.”

“And you told me first.”

“You had the right to know.”

“Does your wife know?”

The Doctor shook his head. “I told her it was regeneration related. I think she believed me.”

The Master smiled a cheeky smile. “Sounds like you've got trust issues to me.”

The Doctor laughed. “There's so much I haven't told her. Everything that you know about me, she doesn't ... not yet, anyway. I will tell her. But I think in small doses.”

The Master laughed that genuine laugh again. “That's probably for the best.” He then paused, and regarded the Doctor again. “I was scared for you.”

“When?”

“When you didn't come back for four months. I thought they had ...”

The Doctor grimaced. “After a few days ... I wanted to end it all.”

“Why didn't they force you to regenerate?”

“I was only a child. I didn't have the control. So they had to find another means. The method was never approved by the High Council.”

“I'm so sorry.”

“For what?”

“I doubted you. I thought you would've told them it had been me. I was already treading on thin glass. I don't know what they would've done to me if I was caught.”

“You were my best friend,” the Doctor said simply. “I would have never told them no matter what they did.”

They gazed at each other, not as the Doctor and the Master, but as Theta and Koschei – the two boys who had played for so long together on the planet that no longer existed. After a few moments the Master seemed to realise he was getting a little bit sucked into nostalgia, and consequently brought himself back to earth with a small, embarrassed cough. “So, why are you here?”

“Do you remember what you told me?” the Doctor suddenly asked. “After I got back?”

The Master paused for a moment, thinking. “That I really owed you one.”

The Doctor smiled just a little. “Master ... I really need that favour now.”

The Master raised an eyebrow. “ _ You  _ need  _ my _ help?”

The Doctor nodded. “As I'm sure you've noticed, I'm a fugitive and the Shadow Proclamation are on the hunt for me.”

“What did you do to them?”

“Nothing, they want my daughter. They say she's a whole new species that needs to be confined and catalogued, possibly either executed or raised in a restricted environment. They want to take her away from me. I can let them have her. They've already got my wife. I'm going to turn myself in so they stop threatening Earth ... it's not fair on the humans.”

The Master looked disgusted at this. “You're putting the humans over yourself? You're a Time Lord, Doctor, humans are nothing more than pests. Stay here and hide and let them all die in your place!”

The Doctor's eyes alone seemed to sadden at his response. “I can't do that. But once they catch me they're going to try and use my DNA to find my daughter. This is where you come in.”

The Master stared at him for a moment. “You want me to hide her,” he realised.

“I know you can do it,” the Doctor's voice had dropped to a whisper. “You have a gift for hypnotic, you can shield her from them.”

There was a very long pause.

“Wow ... This is really big,” the Master breathed, his hand on his forehead. “What makes you think you can trust me?”

“What makes you think I can't trust you?” the Doctor countered. “Master, I know times have changed. Concerning Gallifrey... concerning us. There's so much that's changed but the only things that haven't changed are Koschei and Theta. They're both still alive, and fighting. Theta needs Koschei ... just one last time.”

The Master swallowed. “How long for?”

“Until I sort this whole mess out,” the Doctor said in a lighter voice, realising he was getting through... “A couple of days, a week at the most?”

There was yet another pause as they gazed at each other.

“Okay,” the Master finally said. “I'll do it.”

The Doctor's eyes lit up and he physically had to stop himself from  _ kissing  _ the Master, and after some fumbling he managed to settle on an enthusiastic handshake with both hands, beaming from ear-to-ear.

“Thank you, thank you so much,” he whispered. “I'll never forget this.”

* * *

Jack was watching the clock, the minutes slowly ticking by. It was almost quarter past. He was just considering phoning the Doctor, when there was a knock on the window and he brought it down to reveal the Doctor standing there, smiling broadly.

“Good news?” Jack supposed.

The Doctor nodded, enthused. “He'll do it.”

“I'll get Leah's stuff,” Jack said, climbing out of the car to go around to the boot. The Doctor nodded, opening the back door to reveal Leah was sitting up, rubbing her eyes.

“Come on, sleepy head,” the Doctor said, undoing the seatbelt and lifting her into his arms. She yawned and clung onto him tightly as Jack reappeared with bags in hand.

The Doctor noted the extra bag. “Are you staying?”

Jack nodded. “You might trust him Doctor, I don't even know why you do, but I don't. He's gonna pull something, I know it. I'm staying to protect Leah.”

The Doctor looked at him for a moment. “Okay,” he finally said, and with that he turned to go back into the Master's house, Jack following.

* * *

They emerged into the sitting room where the Master was waiting for them. Jack noticed that seemed to be looking over the Doctor's shoulder until he saw the toddler in his arms, and his brow somewhat furrowed.

The Doctor looked up at the Master and caught his expression as he set Leah down onto the floor. “What?” he asked.

“I thought she'd be ... taller,” the Master said flatly.

“She's two,” the Doctor replied, before looking down at Leah who still looked very sleepy. “Leah, this is your Uncle ... err ...” He turned to the Master, suddenly at a loss.

“Harry!” the Master chimed happily, beaming from ear-to-ear in a smile that didn't resemble happiness. “I'm your Uncle Harry, nice to meet you little Leah.” He stretched out his finger for Leah to shake. Leah just stared at the finger, then at him, then turned her father and buried her face into his leg. The Master looked a little surprised.

“Aww,” the Doctor said, running his hand over her head affectionately. “It's okay, Leah.” He glared at the Master, who made an innocent face and shrugged.

“You're gonna be staying here for a little while, okay?” the Doctor told his little girl, who nodded up at him, still clinging onto his leg. “Uncle Jack's gonna stay too, and Uncle Harry's going to make sure you're okay.”

“Will you stay?” Leah asked hopefully.

He shook his head. “I've got to go and get your Mummy.”

“Oh,” Leah replied, disappointed.

“I'll be back as soon as I can,” the Doctor assured her, kissing her forehead before he turned to Jack, about to speak ...

“No!” Leah suddenly wailed, her eyes tearing up. “Why you leave, Daddy?!”

The Doctor turned back, surprised. “I'm really sorry, Leah ...”

“You always leave!” she sobbed.

“But I always come back, Leah. I will  _ always _ come back.”

“You said you never go away, and you lied!” she yelled. “You keep lying and I don't like it!”

The Doctor was taken aback by this sudden, unexpected outburst. “Leah ...”

“You don't like me anymore,” she gasped through bitter sobs. “You go and leave me behind!”

“Leah,” he said calmly, dropping to his knees in front of her. “I know I've disappointed you, and I know I should be better than this – you have every right to be angry at me because I've broken my promise and that was very, very wrong of me. I know you just want both Mummy and Daddy to be with you and believe me, if I could stay, I would. If I could take you with me, I would. But if I did either of those things you might get hurt, and if you ever get hurt it would make Daddy cry really, really hard. I love you, I will always come back, and you know what? If you're that angry at me, I give you permission to punch me. Go on.” He offered out his arm. 

Leah looked at his arm, then his face. “Really?” she asked through shiny teary eyes.

“Yep,” he affirmed. “As hard as you can. And only because I'm letting you.”

She pulled back her fist and punched his upper arm as hard as she could. It was barely a thump, but the Doctor acted appropriately and winced loudly, holding his arm.

“Oh I've learnt my lesson,” he said through his wince. “I am never crossing you again.”

She giggled, wiping at her eyes. He leant forward and held her tightly, feeling as though he might cry, too.

“Me and Mummy love you, don't forget that,” the Doctor said gently. “This will be the last time I go away. I will come back with Mummy, and we can all do whatever you want together.”

“Promise?” Leah asked.

“Promise,” the Doctor confirmed. “And this time I'm not going to break it.”

She nodded. He pulled back and picked her up to place her on the sofa. 

“Now go to sleep,” he said gently. “I'll be back really soon.”

“Bye bye,” she said sadly as he put a cushion under her head and covered her with the blanket. He finally turned to Jack.

“Car keys,” the Time Lord said, holding out his hand. 

Jack rummaged through his pockets until he found them, and gave them to the Doctor. “What's your plan?”

“I'm gonna go back to the TARDIS, go to the Shadow Proclamation and try and find out who's doing all this,” he said, glancing at the very uninterested Master, and then the little girl curled up under the blanket.

“Jack,” the Doctor whispered, staring at his young daughter. “Please,  _ please _ look after her.”

“With my life,” Jack assured him, drawing him into a comforting hug. “She'll be okay, I promise.”

The Doctor swallowed, before pulling back from Jack and kneeling down next to Leah, brushing back her hair and kissing her head. Jack's eyes flickered to the Master, who was staring at the Doctor with a raised eyebrow. Finally the Doctor drew back, turning to the Master. 

“Thank you for doing this,” the Doctor said. The Master gave a mock salute. After a few more moments the Doctor finally got up and took a deep breath, rolling back his shoulders before heading to the front door. He gave one last look at Leah before he opened it, stepped outside, and closed the door behind him.

The Master let out long breath. “I thought he'd never leave.”

Jack ignored him, hand checking that his gun was in his holster. It was. He'd loaded it before they'd left. He wasn't taking any chances with the Master.

The car engine started up from outside, a door closing. Then Jack suddenly froze, realising he'd just given his car keys to ...

“Wait!” he yelled, pulling open the front door and waving his arms to get the Doctor's attention. 

The Time Lord wound down the window, sticking his granny-disguised head out. “What?” he yelled.

“Do you even know how to  _ drive _ a car?!” 

“I successfully failed my test!” the Doctor assured him, and with the accompanying sound and smell of burning rubber he pulled off with wheel-spin and drove off down the street, his shawl flapping in the breeze as he went.   



	17. Stuff Happens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor tries to get back to Cardiff, but he's being followed.

The Doctor remembered the exact route they came up, and where the police checkpoint was. He decided he wasn't going to brave it again and took an alternate route, hoping he could bypass under the cover of night to get back to Cardiff unnoticed. 

He had actually been glad that Jack had insisted on staying with Leah. He didn't doubt the Master's integrity when it came to matters about Gallifrey; even  _ he _ couldn't turn his back on what had happened, especially now he knew the truth. His pride was too strong. But knowing Jack was there with his little girl did make the Doctor feel more at ease. So he decided to put any worries about Leah out of his mind, and concentrate on what he had to do. He was going up against the greatest justice force in the Universe – it was no small feat.

At 3am there was barely anyone around, and as he passed through yet more forest around Brecon Beacons he in fact hadn't seen anyone for miles. The radio was still buzzing with the story about him – he only had it on purely to see if they had any idea where he was ... but they didn't. Just another forty-five minutes and he would be home and dry.

But then he noticed a pair of headlights in the distance behind him. It could've been anyone, but he decided to play it safe. He took the next turning into yet deeper forest, checking his mirrors every step of the way. 

He couldn't see anyone, so he pulled over to the side of the rough track and leant back against the seat, exhaling. He was uncharacteristically tense and jumpy. He needed to calm down.

He spent a few moments trying to do exactly that, resting against the head seat. It wasn't until he opened his eyes did something in the side mirror attract his attention, and as he stared he realised ...

It was a pair of headlights.

He was being followed.

* * *

Jack and the Master sat in completely unbroken silence, watching each other across the room as if waiting for each other to make a move. Leah was fast asleep on the settee beside her Uncle Jack, who kept checking her to make sure she was okay.

“You don't have to sit here all the time,” the Master began, staring at Jack.

Jack just stared at him with narrowed eyes. “I think I will,” he replied stoically.

“Oh, so little trust in this world,” the Master said, blasé.

Jack continued to glare at him. “You even so much as  _ touch  _ Leah, I will kill you.”

“What an empty threat,” the Master said, sounding unimpressed. “The Doctor wouldn't be happy if you killed me.”

“Well, if it's a choice between you and his daughter I think we know which one goes first,” Jack said dryly. To his utter surprise, the Master burst out laughing, slapping a jolly hand on his knee. “What the hell are you laughing at?” Jack snapped.

“You know  _ nothing _ about him, do you?” the Master stated more than asked, still laughing.

“I know that the bond he shares with Leah is stronger than anything you two have now,” Jack replied dryly. “Maybe you were friends at one point but now your friendship is built on contempt. I don't know what reasons the Doctor gave you to help him but you actually agreed, which means you probably have an ulterior motive. He's trusted you with the most precious thing in the world to him – his daughter – and only a sick, twisted man would endanger the life of a two-year-old girl just for a petty feud.”

“Oh, sick and twisted, two more personality traits to add to my CV,” the Master said insincerely.

Jack continued to stare at him. “I don't know why the Doctor trusts you, but I don't.”

“Oh!” the Master exclaimed, smiling from ear-to-ear. “This is about the Valiant torture thing, isn't it?”

Jack didn't reply.

“It’s still a big thing with you, isn’t it?”

Jack stayed silent.

“I bet you think about it every time you look at him,’ the Master mused. “Thinking about what I made him do; what I made you do. I’m surprised you’re still friends after all of that. Tell me, was there ever a time when you  _ hated  _ him?”

Jack blanched. “I only hated you. And you can shut up. I’m not playing your games; not again.”

The Master smiled. “Oh, but you are already, aren’t you?” he pointed out. “It’s so good to know that you can’t stop thinking about me. The human race are so  _ pathetic.  _ You can’t stop thinking about all the worst bits of your short, primitive lives, and you forget all the good moments. How much do you remember?” he persisted. “How much detail?”

“Shut up.” Jack grated.

“Do you remember how much blood there was?”

“Shut up.” 

“Do you remember how he just  _ didn’t _ cry? Kind of says a lot of about him when he didn’t cry after all of that. Then again, he’s had a full and varied life, and he’s annoyed a lot of the universe in the process. He’s probably been captured more than once, and gotten used to being used and humiliated, hasn’t he? Does that make him - what’s that human phrase - ‘damaged goods’?”

“Shut. Up.”

“Oh, oh! Do you remember how high-pitched his screams were?”

“Shut up!”

“I do. He screams like a girl.” 

Jack quickly looked down at Leah, but thankfully she was still asleep. “You're a sick bastard,” he swore, only just about stopping himself from beating the Master to a messy, bloody pulp. “You hurt Leah and I will put a bullet in you.”

“You do realise I'll regenerate,” the Master said smugly.

“And I've got six bullets. Let's see who runs out first.”

For once, the Master looked slightly uncomfortable, and it was Jack's turn to smile.

* * *

The Doctor jumped to attention, getting into gear and releasing the handbrake, pulling off as quietly and as he could. He had the advantage of the black car in the pitch black night, but it was also very bulky and somewhat hard to miss, even if he turned the engine off. He was also not completely familiar with driving something not of Bessie proportions, which did hinder him somewhat. 

He checked the headlights in the mirror, taking the first right, and then the next left in an attempt to lose them. He kept looking in the mirror for any sign of pursuit. It was still there. They were  _ definitely _ following him.

He took another left, doubling back to where he'd entered the forest. He'd emerged onto a straight road. He pushed on the accelerator, continuously glancing between the mirror and the road. Were they still following him? He couldn't see any headlights ... He must've lost them.

He grinned and turned back to look at the road, just in time to see a deer caught in his headlights, standing in the middle of the road. He panicked, yanking the steering wheel left and trying to find the brakes, but in the confusion of an unfamiliar car he ended up slamming on the accelerator. The black SUV went spinning wildly around to the left before careering down a small hill into the trees, did a side flip and at 60 miles per hour and completely beyond control it smashed into a tree, and stopped dead with a horrific crunch of metal.

There was only silence.

* * *

The Master had gone upstairs thirty minutes ago, declaring that he was very bored. Jack could only say good riddance as he sat on the sofa with Leah still asleep, cuddling Bundy tightly. The TV was buzzing with some kind of late night film, and Jack was drifting into a light sleep...

Suddenly his phone rang. Jack jumped, startled before he came to his senses and reached for the phone. It was Martha.

He answered and lifted it to his ear. “How are you, Martha Jones?” Jack asked charismatically, grinning.

“ _ BBC News 24,”  _ was all she said, and then hung up.

Jack blinked, surprised. All right, then. He leant forward for the remote and flicked through the channels until he got to BBC News 24.

**BREAKING NEWS: Alien fugitive found** the newsreel scrolled across the bottom.

Jack suddenly forgot how to breathe. He sat up, now fully awake and attentive as the gleeful looking news reporter broke the story.

“ _ Police received a tip off as to the whereabouts of the alien fugitive, and a police spokesperson has said they are in pursuit. We can go live to the scene, Fiona, can you tell us what's happening?” _

“ _ Thanks John, I'm in a helicopter hovering above the location the alien is supposedly hiding. A suspicious black SUV was seen driving through this area, an undercover operation began, and we now can confirm it is indeed the fugitive alien ...” _

Jack broke his gaze away and quickly dialled for the phone he'd given the Doctor. It rung out.

“Come on, Doctor, come on!” Jack urged, and dialled again. It rung a few times before it stopped, there was some fumbling, and Jack could hear breathing.

“Doc? Doc!” 

“ _ What?” _ came a strained reply.

“Where are you?”

“ _ Umm ... in a tree.” _

“What?”

“ _ I think I crashed...” _

“You crashed my car?!” Jack yelped, and then realised he had to get some perspective. “Okay, never mind, are you hurt? Can you get out?”

“ _ Yes and yes,”  _ the Doctor replied. He really sounded out of it.

“Doc, you gotta move. You're on TV. They're homing in on you, get out of there.”

“ _ Okay,”  _ came a grunt of a reply. It was a few moments before Jack heard a huge groan of pain and gasps for air as the Doctor was obviously trying to move.

“Shit,” Jack breathed down the phone. “That sounds bad.”

“ _ That was just getting the seatbelt off,”  _ the Doctor grunted back, and quickly followed that up with more pained groans before Jack heard a door open.

“You out?” he asked, diving for his bag and pulling out a laptop.

“ _ Sort of,”  _ the Doctor replied. 

“Hurry up, Doctor, they're surrounding you ...” Jack said quickly, setting the laptop down on the table and booting it up.

“ _ You know what, Harkness? One word. Airbags,”  _ the Doctor replied rudely, crying out again. Jack could hear the sirens in the background getting closer and closer. “ _ Okay, I'm out.” _

“Head east,” Jack instructed, staring at the TV screen of the helicopter hovering overhead. “It'll take you deeper into the forest.”

“ _ Okay,”  _ the Doctor said, and Jack listened to his heavy breathing and squeaks of pain he was fighting as he headed east. “ _ Stay with me.” _

“Not going anywhere,” Jack assured him, tapping at the laptop to try and get into the Torchwood database. “I'm just trying to track you, keep going.”

He switched the mobile onto speaker phone, placing it on the table before resuming tapping away at the laptop as the story continued to unfold on the news.

“ _ There have been no signs of the alien fugitive yet, but a police spokesperson informs us he has not left this section of forest ...” _

The laptop bleeped, signalling he was into the Torchwood database. He brought up the global scanner, switching to thermal and waiting for it to load.

“ _ Jack,”  _ the Doctor gasped. 

“I'm here, what's happened?” Jack asked, checking the TV again.

“ _ I can't go east anymore, there's a road.” _

Jack's eyes scoured the helicopter's overview, trying to determine where the Doctor might be. “Where's the helicopter in relation to you?”

“ _ North-east.” _

“You're fine,” Jack replied. “There's more forest on the other side of the road. Just get across there as quick as you can.”

“ _ Got it,”  _ the Doctor replied.

The laptop beeped again, signalling it had loaded. Jack typed in the location and it snapped to the area, loading again.

“I've almost got your position, are you across the road, yet?”

“ _ There's cars everywhere, Jack, I don't think I can.” _

“Stay undercover, I've almost found you,” Jack said as the laptop loaded. He zoomed in, scouring the area until he found a large green and dark blue blob hovering at the side of a road. “I think I've got you,” he said, and clicked to track the blob. “You're freezing.”

“ _ Never mind that,”  _ the Doctor breathed. “ _ Where do I go?” _

“I'm checking the area,” Jack informed him, looking around the area for any red blobs that could be in visual distance. There was a car driving up the road towards the Doctor, and when he looked at the TV screen he could see it coinciding with the helicopter's view, which was starting to move east.

“Hide,” Jack urged. “There's a car coming from the south and the helicopter's coming straight towards you.”

There was a pause before the Doctor replied. “ _ I'm gonna go north.” _

“No, stay there,” Jack urged, and glanced up at the TV. Then he realised why they were homing in on the Doctor.

“ _ The downdraught and spotlight are gonna pick me out, I've got to move, Jack.” _

“They're using thermal scanning, Doc. I'm gonna try and scramble the signals. It'll take out the phone for about a minute, so I'll call you back.”

“ _ What direction do I go?” _

“South, try to cross the east road. Keep going until I call you.”

* * *

Jack hung up. The Doctor winced, holding his ribs and checking the area before struggling with a bloody leg through the undergrowth to the south. He heard the car coming from the  south and with a wince he ducked for cover behind a log , watching a stream of powerful torchlight move over his head slowly, until the car passed by. He struggled to his feet, gasping in pain as silently as he could before starting south again, moving for a while until he was sure the car was gone. 

He approached the east road, looking around for any signs of life but he seemed to be alone. He climbed onto the verge and moved as fast as he could across the road, and breathed a sigh of relief when he made it to the other side.

He could barely go on. His head was throbbing from the impact with Jack's reinforced car windows, he was pretty sure he'd cracked some ribs and he preferred not to look at his leg for fear of what he would find. But he couldn't stop, he had to keep moving. 

He continued through the trees. Sirens had started and he could hear dogs barking, tracking his scent. There were shouts and torchlight streaming through the trees, trying to pick him out. He kept going, pushing himself on.

The phone started vibrating again. He brought it out and pressed it to his ear.

“Jack,” he grated. “Help me.”

* * *

“I've scrambled their signals, they've lost their tech,” Jack said quickly. “Chances are they don't know where you are. Keep going east, Doc.” 

“ _ Okay,”  _ the Doctor replied, and Jack heard him continue through the undergrowth.

“Uncle Jack?” a voice suddenly said from the sofa. Jack looked at Leah sitting up, staring at him. She could probably not have timed that worse.

“What is it?” Jack asked, eyes flickering from her to the thermal scanner.

“I'm thirsty.”

Jack glanced at the thermal scanner again, and then the TV. “The kitchen’s right across the hall,” he said. 

She nodded, before blinking and rubbing her eyes. “Where's Uncle Harry?”

“Upstairs,” he answered quickly, checking the thermal. The police were taking a chance, closing in on the section of forest the Doctor was struggling through ... If he kept going he was going to run straight into them. “I'm a bit busy so can you be a big girl and get it yourself?”

“Okay,” Leah replied, and toddled off through the hallway into the kitchen. 

Jack jumped back to the phone. “Doctor, stop! Go north-east! You're heading straight for them.”

“ _ Thanks for the warning,”  _ the Doctor grunted.

“Leah wanted a drink.”

“ _ Is she still up?!”  _ the Doctor suddenly yelped, and the blue and green thermal blob of the Doctor instantly stopped moving. “ _ It's 3am!!” _

“Doctor, perspective!” Jack urged, and the blob started moving again.

“ _ Sorry,”  _ the Doctor said.

“Keep going, you're almost out,” Jack said, and panned the screen right ... Then he stopped. “Wait! No! Turn back! There's one right in front of you!”

The blue-green blob of the Doctor turned 180° and started back west, straight towards where all the police were waiting, surrounding him... But that wasn't the reason Jack was panicking. The red blob to the east that the Doctor had almost run into starting moving towards the Doctor. 

“Shit, he's seen you, Doc.”

“ _ Where do I go?”  _

Jack scanned the thermal area, then checked the television. The Doctor was almost completely surrounded, and they were closing in, hunters to the meat.

“They're surrounding you, Doc, you gotta lose this guy and double back east...”

Jack could hear the Doctor's strained gasps for air as he continued west, and then suddenly switched to go north. The red blob was moving faster than the Doctor, closing the gap ...

“Doctor!” Jack yelled. “You've gotta run faster!”

“ _ I can't,” _ the Doctor gasped.

Jack panicked, realising that the Doctor had been injured in the crash ... “Doctor, I know it hurts but please,  _ please  _ run faster...”

The blue blob of the Doctor increased its speed, but the red blob was still closing. He heard a shot over the phone and seconds later on the television.

“Doctor!” Jack yelled, feeling utterly helpless, his heart thumping so hard in his chest it felt like it were about to break his ribs. “You've  _ got  _ to  _ do _ something and do it  _ now!” _

Seconds later there was another shot. The blue blob stopped in its tracks, before it suddenly started moving again to the accompanying sound scuffling on the phone. The blob of the Doctor stopped moving altogether, and the phone connection went completely dead.

“No,” Jack breathed. He dived for the phone, hanging up and redialling ...

_ "The phone you are calling may have been switched off. Please try later." _

He swallowed, looking at the television news report.

“ _ The fugitive has been stopped, first descriptions would describe as a bullet to the head...” _

He couldn't stop the tears, then. He cried shamelessly for his best friend, heaving great sobs. 

“Uncle Jack?” a small voice came from the doorway, Jack turned to see Leah standing there, holding her cup of milk. “Why are you crying?”

Jack completely froze for a moment before he had the sense to reach for the remote, and put the TV on standby. He gazed at the girl, the image of her father, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do now.

“Oh Leah,” he breathed, hand over his mouth. What should he tell her? Her dad was probably dead. He was never,  _ ever _ going to come back to her ... “No reason,” he finally forced himself to reply. “No reason at all. Go back to sleep, Leah.”

She nodded, going back to her made up bed on the sofa, climbing under the blanket and curling up.

Jack felt completely dead inside as he stared at her, the girl so oblivious. He wanted to cry some more but what good would that do?

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, and the Master came bounding down the stairs to at a time, a happy grin across his face. “Mine!” he yelled, and pulled open the door. Jack couldn't see who it was, not that he cared right now. The Doctor had been shot in the head. He didn't know what to do ...

“Yes, she's right there,” came the Master's voice, and Jack looked up to see the Master pointing at Leah ... and several Judoon entered the house.

“Uncle Jack!” Leah wailed.

“No! Stop!” Jack yelled, already going for his gun, but before he even had the chance to pull it out the Master already had a gun in his hand, and he shot Jack straight through the head.

He fell to the floor, dead.


	18. My Bessie Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor is saved by his new best friend, but ends up stranded away from the Proclamation and Earth.

The Doctor opened his eyes, the side of his head screaming in pain. He could feel something warm running down his face as he laid in a ditch of muddy water at the bottom of a slope. He tried lifting his head, but every single remnant of energy that had ever existed in his body was completely gone. He couldn't move – and they were coming.

He then realised that someone was leaning over him, he groaned and slowly turned his head to look up, and saw someone dressed in full black wearing a balaclava.

“Shush,” the person urged. “Quiet and still.”

He obeyed – he didn't really have a choice. He laid there in the ditch covered by the figure, trying to not pass out again. The sirens were still wailing, dogs still barking, men still shouting. Where was his phone? He looked around, seeing it lying about three feet away at the bottom of the slope he'd just plummeted down.

What had happened? There'd been a shot, and blinding pain to the side of his skull... He couldn't have been shot in the head or he'd be very dead by now. But he was very sure he'd just fallen down that steep verge. It felt like he had.

Suddenly an armed policeman appeared at the top of the verge, looking around for him. The Doctor took a quiet intake of breath ... but for some reason the policeman didn't seem to see them, even though he was looking straight in their direction. The Doctor frowned slightly, eyes flicking up to the figure above him. They must be using a basic local camouflage to shield both the Doctor and them. The policeman frowned for a moment, and looked again. He reached up to his collar, pressing down on his communications device.

“I've lost it, sir,” he said, then paused before answering, “no, I definitely shot it in the head, I'm sure of it ... It could have only gone east into the open field ... I understand, sir, on my way.”

And with that the man turned and jogged away. There was a few moments pause before the person above the Doctor quickly reached for their wrist and began to fumble.

“My phone,” the Doctor croaked, reaching for the device. The person looked up, and quickly retrieved the phone from the ground before slipping it into their pocket. The Doctor relaxed before the person fumbled again, whacked the device with a clenched fist, and then pressed a button.

The Doctor felt the familiar jolt of a transmat device and he closed his eyes for the move, before opening them again. He found himself in some kind of metal room piled with storage crates – the cargo hold of a spaceship? The person above him in the balaclava scrambled to their feet and looked at him lying awkwardly on the floor ... and then began jumping up and down excitedly.

Within seconds the Doctor was surrounded by seven other people, various aliens from entirely different planets, all looking down at him with wide eyes, talking between themselves.

“It's him!” a tall female Zylox yelped.

“He's shorter than I thought,” a Panonian man mused.

“Where am I?” the Doctor croaked, still not being able to find the energy to move.

The person in the balaclava stopped jumping, grabbed their balaclava and wrenched it off.

“Heeey bessie!” the blue man yelled, beaming broadly.

The Doctor blinked. “Yash?”

“Yeah!” Yash replied, punching the air. “I did it!”

“Out of the way, out of the way!” another voice yelled, and the crowd of people parted to reveal blue-skinned woman, barging towards him with a green moon medical bag in her hand. She knelt down next to him, smiling a full set of pointed teeth. “Don't worry, love,” she told him, unpacking the bag. “I'm a humanoid biology specialist doctor at the Central Universal Hospital. I'll have you fixed and back to saving the Universe in a jiffy.”

The Doctor looked at her through sunken eyes as she began to examine the damage, then looked at Yash. “What's going on?” he asked weakly.

“Don't worry, love, it'll all come flooding back,” the woman tending his wounds assured him, and he could do nothing but pass out.

* * *

When he woke up again he was lying in a bed in a white room of a simply-equipped medical bay. He blinked and tried to avert his eyes from the shining light above him, looking to the side to see the same crowd of aliens as before now standing outside the medical bay, staring at him through the window with awe.

“Welcome back!” a voice said. It was that doctor again. 

“Hello,” the Doctor replied, managing to sit up on the bed with a few grunts, still glancing every so often at the crowd of people staring in through the window, nose to glass.

“Would you like to know the damage, love?” the woman asked.

“Yes, please.”

“You've broken your collar bone in two places, cracked three of your ribs on the left side, not severely, you've partially torn your right knee ligament, and there are two superficial head wounds, not serious. I've given you some painkillers. Don't worry, no aspirin, Yash told me you were allergic.” 

“Ah good, thank you,” the Doctor replied, and cleared his throat. “Umm ... Sorry, what's your name?” 

“Pelirthopolariuategazomaza.”

The Doctor blinked. “... Can I call you Peli?”

“Of course, love,” she said kindly, laughing.

He smiled back, and then gestured to the window. “Peli, who are those people and why are they staring at me?”

Peli followed his gaze to the window where all the people were still stood, staring. She instantly moved over to them and waved her hands. “Shoo! Shoo!”

They quickly dispersed and Peli turned back to him. “They're Yash's crowd,” she replied. “Doctor forums space something or other.”

“Ah,” the Doctor quickly realised. They were his fans. “You're not...?”

“Oh no,” she replied, still smiling. “I'm Yash's Aunt. I was staying with Yash and his mother for the week and Yash asked me to come for this.”

“This,” the Doctor repeated, frowning.

She looked at him for a moment. “You really don't know what's happening, do you?”

“Honestly, no,” the Doctor replied, running his hand running his hair. “I met Yash for ten minutes a couple of weeks ago. Now I just fell into a ditch and he appeared and transmatted me here.”

“Well, no point in me explaining, I don't know squat,” she said with that permanent comforting smile again. “Would you like me to get Yash?”

“That would be great, thank you.”

She nodded, getting up and leaving. The Doctor took the opportunity to check himself over – his arm was in a sling, his leg elevated and he could feel cold gooey healing gel on the side of his head. There were small cuts over his legs from running through the undergrowth, bruises on his arms from the fall and more severe bruising to his ribs. At the rate he healed he could probably be up and moving in about in five hours.

He looked up, and noticed the people had come back to the window. Then they seemed to realise that Peli wasn't in there... and took the opportunity, running in the door holding photos and cameras, yelling over each other.

“Oh Doctor, I love you ...”

“Please can I have your autograph ...”

“I, um, love your work, and I, um ...”

“Please could you tell me ...”

“Please could I take a picture with you ...”

“Can I ask you ...”

“Okay, okay!” the Doctor said quickly with his functioning arm in the air, and instantly they fell silent. “Maybe if you went one at a time?”

One stepped forward instantly, the overweight freckled Panonian that had called the Doctor short earlier, clutching a notebook and a pencil.

“I am President of the Doctor Appreciation Society,” he began in a nasally, dull voice. “I am currently compiling a database on facts about you, could you please clarify some things?”

“Um, okay,” the Doctor said slowly, staring at him.

“Question one,” he began, and instantly the Doctor realised he was going to be here for a  _ very _ long time. “When in your first body, it was claimed you regenerated when you were 450 years old. When in your fourth body, you were quoted as saying you were aged 759. In your sixth body, you apparently had your 900th birthday, and when your seventh body regenerated you were 1009, and then claimed to be 1012 whilst in your eighth body. Whilst in your eighth body you were trapped as an amnesiac on Earth between the 19th century and Earth year 2001, making you at least 1125. Yet in your ninth body you claimed your age as 900, then you claimed you had only aged a year between your companions Martha Jones and Donna Noble, despite the fact you spent 2¾ years searching for Martha Jones when fighting Balthazar. Please could you clarify your age?”

“No idea,” the Doctor replied tiredly.

“Thank you,” the President of the Doctor Appreciation Society said, scrawling something down in his notebook. “Question two,” it continued, in the same droning, boring voice. “When your third body was exiled to Earth and joined Unit headed by Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, your first meeting with Unit occurred in Earth year 1979 at the earliest. Your companion, Sarah Jane Smith claimed to be from 1980 at a time when the Brigadier was still with UNIT, yet later when you rejoined with the Brigadier after getting caught in a warp ellipse, we learnt that he retired in 1976. Please could you explain how he retired from UNIT before he joined it?”

The Doctor internally sighed. “Timey wimey.”

“Thank you. Question three ...”

“Just out of interest, how many questions are there?” the Doctor wondered.

“187,” he replied, completely deadpan.

The Doctor sighed out loud this time, lying back against the pillows and staring at the ceiling, wondering if it was possible to chew his own foot off.

“Question three ...”

“Hey, hey! Clear out the way!” a voice suddenly yelled, and the Doctor had never felt more relieved in his life as Yash appeared through the crowd, beaming. “Hey bessie!”

“Yash!” the Doctor said in delight. “Please,  _ please _ come and talk to me.”

“Just me and the Doc, people!” Yash yelled, taking command as he herded them out of the door, the President of the Doctor Appreciation Society struggling to make himself heard over Yash, still waving his pencil as the door buzzed closed. They all instantly went to the window, and Yash hammered a button on the side, an opaque metal screen slid down to completely shut them out.

“Thanks Yash,” the Doctor said genuinely. “You've saved my life twice in one day.”

Yash beamed and jumped to sit on the bed, jolting the Doctor in the air, who yelped in surprise and pain.

“Oh sorry,” Yash said quickly.

“That's all right,” the Doctor breathed, struggling to recover. “So, I'm on a spaceship?”

Yash beamed again, and instantly started up his rant, complete with elaborate hand gestures. “Oh you'll be so proud of me, Doctor! I heard about the arrest and sentence thing, right? I went straight on the Spacenet forums and everyone else had heard it too! So I was like, 'well obviously he didn't do it because he's too awesome', and everyone was like, 'yeah I totally agree!' so I was like, 'hey you know what, let's go save him guys!' and they were like, 'what, Yash?! You crazy fool!' and I was like, 'he totally taught me how to handle saving people and stuff because he's my bessie', and they were like, 'no waaay, man!' and I was like...”

“Yash,” the Doctor interrupted. “Get to the point.”

Yash flushed an instant red, before continuing still with elaborate hand gestures. “Sorry. Well basically we did like all that, yeah, and my Uncle bet me I couldn't even if he got me a spaceship for a night, cos he works at the spacedocks, yeah? So I took him on, right? So everyone who could get to my planet within a day came, I got my Aunt to come cos I thought you might be hurt or something, which you were, we got on the spaceship and went straight to Earth. We saw this awesome thing that I totally loved called 'CBBC' on the monitor with something like 'Newsround' on it where they were talking about an alien hiding and I said, 'that's the Doctor!' so we waited until it got dark, tracked you down, swooped in to pick you up!”

The Doctor stared at him, only just about getting what he'd said. “How did you track me down?”

“Lenz has a bit of tissue with your snot on it he bought off of zBay,” Yash replied, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

The Doctor took some time to comprehend that. “... Okay,” he finally answered, and then frowned. “... Wait, you watched CBBC, you speak English?” 

Yash nodded, beaming. “You're like, totally into Earth so I took Earthonomics and we learnt two languages, English and American.”

“Right,” the Doctor replied. “Look, I really need to get back to Earth so if you can refuel when we get to your planet and fly me in your ship ...” He stopped when he saw Yash's face. “... You don't have the spaceship after this trip, do you,” he stated more than asked.

“Umm ... no,” Yash replied, looking a bit guilty.

“You haven't thought this through, have you.”

“Ummm ... no,” Yash repeated, looking even more guilty. Suddenly he looked as though he were about to cry ... “Oh my god, I've totally messed up everything haven't I? I'm always doing that! Why can't I be good at anything? I sucked at school and I suck at work and now I can't even save you right! Mum's right, I'm totally...”

“Yash,” the Doctor interrupted again. “Calm down, we can work this out.”

Yash looked at him, and suddenly brightened. “I know! Tomorrow we'll sneak in the spaceport at the crack of dawn, put sleeping draft into the guard's drinks, and when they're down we'll nick their guns, clobber the attendants unconscious and fight our way to the ship!” he yelled, punching the air.

“Or,” the Doctor began. “You said your uncle worked at the spacedocks?”

Yash nodded. “He does bookings and stuff.”

“Do you think he can get me unnoticed on a flight to the Sol galaxy station?”

Yash shrugged. “Probably, but there's no flights until the morning.”

The Doctor bit his lip. Time was wasting away, but there wasn't much he could do right now but hide. “That's okay, I'll just have to stay here overnight.”

Yash beamed. “Come to my house! My Mum totally wants to meet you!”

The Doctor had to suppress a sigh. “Can't wait.”


	19. Penguins on Ice Skates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor is still stranded, but a phone call to the Master convinces him to change his plans.

After signing a few autographs, doing some pictures and dodging the President of the Doctor's Appreciation Society, the Doctor, Yash, and Yash's Aunt Peli finally got back to Yash's house. It was a relatively small one at the back end of town. The Doctor did wonder how they were all going to fit in there. But regardless, Yash strolled up to it, encouraging his aunt and the limping Doctor.

“Hey, Mum!” Yash yelled happily as he opened the front door, kicking off his boots into the middle of the hall.

“About  _ time!”  _ came a shrieking voice from beyond the sliding metal door and it buzzed back to reveal a blue-skinned elderly woman, hair tied back in a bun, wiping her impeccably manicured hands on a tea towel. “And where on Grabbylox have you  _ been _ , Yash?!” 

The Doctor watched as Yash seemed to shrink where he stood. “Sorry, Mum, I said I'd be back in the evening ...”

“It's ten o'clock!” the woman shrieked. “And how many  _ times,  _ Yash, shoes  _ on the mat!  _ And now there's mud all over my floor! You clean that up right now, Yashotophemonolinzo!”

“Yes, Mother,” Yash said quietly.

She finally noticed the Doctor, standing there with his clothes torn and his bandages in full view. “And who the hell is this? A tramp?!”

The Doctor stared at her, feeling very awkward before he smiled his most charming smile and extended out his hand that wasn't in a sling. “Pleasure to meet you, Mrs, umm ... Yash's mother.”

She stared at him, then at his hand, and made a big point of not shaking it. “You will address me as Mrs Kilkaqimazkznthnajk whilst you are a guest in my house!”

“Really?” the Doctor asked, a little winded.

“Who are you, anyway?” she asked rudely.

Yash jumped in, eager as a beaver. “Mum, this is the Doctor.”

“Oh, that  _ bloody  _ Doctor!” she realised, exasperated. She looked at the Doctor again, regarding him up and down like a sheep at the market. “Is this it?”

“I told you, Mum!” Yash said quickly before the Doctor could begin to even  _ think _ of a reply. “He saves planets and fight monsters and ...”

“He's a bloody humanoid, that's what he is!” she shouted, spittle flying into the Doctor's face. “They're nothing but trouble, he's going to mess up my house and leave his disgusting humanoid scent everywhere!”

“I'm very hygienic,” the Doctor said lamely.

Mrs Kilkaqimazkznthnajk's blue face turned almost completely red with utter anger, making her look like a sunburnt smurf. “Do not talk back to me!” she roared.

The Doctor decided that not saying anything else would probably be for the best. Thankfully Mrs Kilkaqimazkznthnajk decided to move on and saw Peli standing there just behind the Doctor, watching the whole thing happen.

“Oh, hello, Peli dear!” Mrs Kilkaqimazkznthnajk greeted warmly, hugging her sister. Then she turned back to the Doctor, and her face changed again faster than light itself. “Get out of my sight, humanoid! And Yash, I don't hear floors being cleaned!”

“Yes, Mother,” Yash said, and ran into another room as Mrs Kilkaqimazkznthnajk turned on her heel and strutted after him.

“Upstairs, third door on the left,” Peli told the Doctor quietly. “Let Yash know if you need me.”

He nodded. “Thank you.”

She followed after them, leaving the Doctor standing alone in the hall. Then he realised there were stairs. He looked at his leg, then at the stairs, sighed, and started to slowly make his way up.

* * *

He got to the room Peli had indicated around ten minutes after he'd begun his painful journey up the stairs, his leg and shoulder screaming their protests in equal measures. As soon as he'd opened the door to the room, he knew it was Yash's. 

It looked very much like the bedroom of a 10-year-old human boy. There were many Earth things spread out over the shelves, posters of TV and films from Earth all over the walls. In the corner there was Yash's computer, the desk messy and completely without order - the wall around the desk covered with drawings and notes ... and pictures of the Doctor himself, in several incarnations.

The Doctor turned his attention to the shelves, peering with interest through some of the things. There were DVDs, videos, CDs, books – all things you would only get from Earth. But the  _ really  _ interesting thing was something placed up on the high shelf, sealed in a box, as though precious. The Doctor did not have the pain tolerance in him to take it down and really look at it, but it appeared to be a piece of scrunched up tin foil.

He figured he had a bit of time to himself, so he sat down at the computer, plugged himself in to the alien interface, and spoke.

“Command, Search. Key words, Doctor, arrest, news.”

The computer bleeped, bringing up an article about his arrest. He scanned through, hoping to maybe get some news on the current situation, but there was nothing new from the article updated six hours ago. He was still a Universally wanted man.

He unplugged himself again, leaning back in the chair and staring up at the ceiling. It was covered in those glow-in-the-dark plastic stars that frequented children's rooms.

Thoughts quickly turned to his growing son. He hadn't had a chance to think anything about getting prepared for his son's arrival. He and Rose hadn't talked about names. They didn't even have any clothes yet. 

Then he started thinking about how his son's room would look. For Leah's room he had spent a few days painting tiny bonnet and cap-wearing teddy bears along the walls; skipping ropes; and having birthday parties. So no teddy bears, this time. He thought for a moment, deciding spaceships was far too corny, and instead turning to the thought of animals. Yes, he could do that. Monkeys hanging from trees, penguins skating on ice, Gralax leaping over rivers ... He could even sneakily stick in a few Gallifreyan ones.

He grinned at the thought, mapping it all out in his head. This one would probably take a little longer to paint than Leah's, but he would enjoy it. Rose was far more into the practicalities, colour and placement of objects when designing a room, while he just liked decorating walls. Plus the TARDIS didn't mind him putting paint all over her when it came to nurseries, which was always a bonus.

The door suddenly opened, jolting the Doctor from his thoughts as Yash entered, and grinned.

“Sorry,” he said, closing the door behind him. “You'd better not go out my room, Mum's really racist when it comes to humanoids.”

“I noticed,” the Doctor murmured.

“What d'you think?” Yash asked, gesturing around the room. “Cool, right?”

“Very cool,” the Doctor replied, gazing around again. “You really like Earth, don't you?”

“Yeah!” Yash said, beaming. “I collect stuff from zBay, and when I went on field trips to Earth. Look what I got!” He ran over to the shelf and reached up to take the box the Doctor had noticed earlier down from the shelf. “It's real precious metal from Earth, it's called tin foil and I've got a bit! My Dad gave it to me, he loved Earth too.”

“Very impressive,” the Doctor replied with a smile, not wanting to crush his dreams.

“Mum hates me keeping this stuff,” Yash said, putting it back on the side. “But I like it so screw her. I wish I could live on Earth, you know? I bet it's awesome. But I don't think they've got any blue people there, so I can't.”

“Yeah, you'd stand out a bit,” the Doctor mused. “How about a morphic box? They wouldn't notice through the illusion, then.”

“I was saving up for one,” Yash said. “But I've got no job now.”

“What happened to your police one?”

“Something about not helping the prisoners to escape,” Yash said, tapping his chin. “Which is fair, yeah? But I said it was you and they still wouldn't let it go! Can you believe that?!”

“Oh, I'm sorry,” the Doctor said quickly. 

“S'alright, wasn't that good at it anyway,” Yash replied, and gestured to a pile of clothes and equipment on the floor at the end of his bed. “I gotta take those back, tomorrow.”

“Yash!!!” came the undeniable shriek of the crazy mother from downstairs.

“Sorry,” Yash said quickly, running speedily out the door.

* * *

Captain Jack Harkness woke up, and then panicked.

The Master had shot him, the Judoon had taken Leah, the Doctor ... surely dead. Now Jack appeared to be in a dark room, the structure and materials would denote it as Earth.

A little light came from the corner, and he struggled to his feet to find it was coming from the edges of a closed door up some stairs. He was in a basement. The Master's basement?

He was pretty sure the door would be impossible to pass through, but he decided to try it anyway, jumping up the stairs and trying the handle. He tried ramming his shoulder against it, but there was something placed on the other side. 

He checked his pockets for anything that could help, but he had nothing. And quite literally – nothing. He didn't have his phone, his gun, or, to his horror, his TARDIS key. 

And there was only one person who could have taken them.

* * *

A few hours of nothing particularly interesting had passed and the Doctor was sat at Yash's desk with Yash fast asleep in his bed, snoring loudly. As the morning arrived the Doctor was drawing out his son's bedroom, planning how he was going to decorate the walls. He wanted it to be absolutely perfect.

He hoped Leah, the Master and Jack were all getting along. As long as she was safe, that was all that mattered. He did feel guilty for having to leave her again, though. She had been right to yell at him. But once this whole thing was sorted out he and Rose were going to give her all the time she wanted, taking her to the best planets and playparks in the Universe. Her third birthday was on the horizon as well. Not to mention that they would have to explain that she had a little baby brother now.

Then suddenly he remembered his phone. He could call Jack to see how they were getting on – to talk to Leah. He looked up, realising Yash had it. He got up and limped over to Yash's coat, rummaging through the pockets until he brought out the slim silver device. It was switched off. He took a few moments trying to recall how to turn it on, before it sprang into life. He sat back down in the chair, careful not to disrupt his shoulder or leg before he started trying to remember how to phone someone on it. He eventually managed to go down he contact list, and called Jack. 

“Jack? It’s me,” he said when it was picked up.

“ _ Doctor!”  _ it was the Master, sounding surprised. “ _ You're alive! I saw the thing Jack was watching on the news. Where are you?” _

“Umm ...” the Doctor looked at his current surroundings, Yash still snoring loudly on the bed. “Long story. How's Leah?”

“ _ Oh, she's fine, fast asleep,”  _ the Master said.  _ ‘So’s Jack. Funny how much these humans sleep, isn’t it? They’re fine.” _

“Thank you again for doing this,” the Doctor said. 

“ _ Well I do owe you,”  _ the Master replied. “ _ Where are you off to?” _

“I'm gonna get a flight to Sol Central Station in the morning and catch a lift back to Earth to get the Tardis,” the Doctor said.

“ _ Mmm,”  _ the Master said. “ _ I've been listening in on the Judoon communications and I don't think your wife is safe, anymore. They know you're coming and they're scared, sounds as if they're planning something.” _

The Doctor paused to consider this. “You heard that?”

“ _ Yep. There's something definitely going on.” _

The Doctor thought for a moment. It would take him almost a day to get to Earth and find the TARDIS when he could walk out the door right now, attract their attention and be at the Shadow Proclamation in two hours flat. Sure, this would make him a prisoner along with Rose, but as long as Leah was safe that was all that mattered.

“... You sure you can keep Leah hidden?” the Doctor asked.

“ _ Are you doubting me, Doctor?”  _ the Master asked incredulously.

The Doctor laughed. “No. I'll be back as soon as I can, thank you.”

_ “I’ll tell the others you’re still alive.” _

“Thanks.”

The Master hung up. The Doctor pocketed the drawing he'd been doing and quickly scribbled a note for Yash before he looked at the man himself sprawled on the bed snoring loudly, somehow completely sleeping through all of that. Then he saw Yash's guns from his police job propped up against the wall. He took one, checked it was loaded, put it into his jacket and slipped out of Yash's room.

He decided the quickest route would be to slide down the banister of the stairs, so he did, reaching the other end to land on one foot. The green moon medical bag was placed at the side, so he quickly eased himself down to sit on the floor against the wall, opening the bag with one hand.

It had the things he needed, but with very basic equipment – obviously a low budget first aid kit. There was nothing to sterilise his skin ... He'd just have to risk it. Syringes were about as sophisticated as the first aid kit got in this house, which wasn't great, but it was his only option. He got out a syringe with one hand, and the medicine he needed for the pregnancy symptoms, filling it up before setting the needle back down again. 

He tried desperately not to cry out in pain when he manipulated his bad arm out of its sling, his broken collar bone screaming its protest. It was almost completely useless; rendered unusable by the pain that came with it. He reached up one-handed to his tie and pulled it over his head, up his bad arm and over his elbow. He pulled it tight and grabbed the end between his teeth, reaching for the needle. He located a vein and slid it in.

He felt partially relieved now that was over – but that had been the easy bit. He would have to inject a localised painkiller under his kneecap so he could walk.

As he was filling the next syringe with painkiller he heard footsteps on the first floor of the house – someone was getting up. And from the direction of the footsteps, he could discern it was Yash's mother.

Deciding he didn't want to confront her, he made haste in unwrapping the bandages from around his knee and picking up the syringe. He took a breath and lowered the point of the needle, sliding it under his kneecap.

He struggled not to make a noise or even flinch at what he was doing as the footsteps continued on the floor above him. He pushed in the painkiller and carefully pulled the syringe out again, gently bending his knee as much as he could to get it circulating.

A door upstairs opened. He had no time to do his collar bone. He quickly re-bandaged his knee and cleaned up the area, scrambling to his feet. There were feet coming along the upstairs hallway towards the stairs.

He made it to the door with his arm pressed against him, trying desperately not to move it as he pulled it open and slipped outside quietly. The painkiller was starting to work now as he started limping less, emerging out into the streets of early morning Grozax. People were buzzing around to get to work, the atmosphere quiet. Well, that was about to change.

He walked out into the middle of a street, picked up a bin one-handed and hurled it at a shop window. It smashed inwards instantly, the alarms bursting into life.

“Come on!” he yelled to the sky as everyone around him suddenly stopped and stared. “Come and get me! I'm right here!”

He pulled out his gun and held it up in the air. People took one look at him, and instantly started screaming, scattering around him before he started walking, shooting into the air as he went. He reached an information column in the street, and shot straight at it.

“Come on!” the Doctor yelled again as it bursts into sparks, more people running and screaming. “I'm here! What are you waiting for!?”

He started off down the street again, shooting into the air. He climbed onto a platform in the centre of the street, watching the people scattering and screaming.

“Hello!?” he shouted to the sky. “If you don't come and get me I'll kill  _ everyone _ here! You got that!?”

It was a matter of minutes until the police arrived. Instantly they surrounded the platform, their guns aiming straight at him.

“Tell the Shadow Proclamation the Doctor is in!” the Doctor yelled down, and then aimed his gun, shooting at the ground near one of the policeman's feet, who yelped and stumbled back. “And don't keep him waiting.”   
  



	20. Kum Ba Yah

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor surrenders to the Proclamation, but discovers he's been betrayed.

The painkiller wore off around the time the Judoon dragged him onto the ship. He couldn't help but yell as he was hauled into a secure room for prisoner transportation, his wrists grabbed and cuffed securely to a metal bar so high in the air that his arms were stretching to it, his shoulder screaming in protest. But at least he could balance relatively comfortably on one leg, now.

As the Judoon left, he began to process his new surroundings – a fairly small, reinforced and highly secured room, two metal bars designed for restraint running along the sides of the room. Then quickly he realised he wasn't alone. Four other arrested lifeforms were stood there restrained as he was ... and they were all staring at him.

“Hello,” the Doctor said as cheerfully as he could.

An Ogron, Sontaran, Draconian and a Zizon stared back.

“Time Lord ...” the Draconian suddenly hissed, staring at him with utter malice.

“The Doctor!” the Sontaran realised.

The Doctor could see this taking a turn for a worse. “Wait, wait, I'm not ...”

“He made our race out to be  _ fools!”  _ the Ogron yelled angrily.

“Kill him!” the Draconian shouted, trying to run forward to the Doctor on the opposite side of the room but the hand restraints attached to the metal bar held him back. Through the frustration of not being able to kill his enemy he yelled in anger, struggling until he lost energy.

“I'm not here to fight you,” the Doctor said calmly.

“The Doctor must die!” the Sontaran raged.

“Please,” the Doctor found himself begging, his shoulder still shooting through with pain. “I'm a prisoner, just like you ... We're equals.”

The only other person on his metal bar – the Zizon – suddenly started forwards, sliding up the bar towards him, staring directly at him with shining yellow eyes, her face impassive. The Doctor quickly tried to back away, limping back and dragging his hands along the bar to get as far away as possible – but she could follow him to the end of the line. In his haste he managed to trip over a jut along the bottom of the wall and he fell backwards, his bound hands stopping his fall with an abrupt jerk. Agony shot through his collar bone and he screamed out with his full voicebox potential, flailing desperately to try and get to his feet again until he found himself backed up against a wall, the furthest he could possibly go.

She reached him, inches away from his face. She looked him up and down for a moment, and then sniffed around him, and in particular his neck. A long, blue, reptile-like tongue slid out of her mouth, flickering around until it fashioned into a sharp point, hovering dangerously near his neck. The Doctor knew that in her tongue there was poison ...

“I don't have any quarrel with your kind,” the Doctor said quickly to her. “I’m not here to fight any of you. I have my own mission.”

“Kill him,” the Draconian urged.

The Zizon looked at the Draconian and then looked the Doctor up and down again.

“Please don't,” the Doctor breathed. 

She ignored him, and swiftly stabbed her tongue into his right shoulder. 

“Yes!” the Draconian yelled with utter glee. The Doctor jolted with the impact as a sense of combined panic and despair began to course through him, as the poison slowly seeped in. It started to burn like fire under his skin, somehow drowning the pain from his broken bone ...

And then everything in his right shoulder went completely numb. The Zizon whipped back her tongue, and nodded at him.

“Ze poison not 'armful to Time Lords in such small amount,” the Zizon informed him in a heavily accented voice, her tongue flickering around her mouth.

“Why did you not kill him?!” the Draconian demanded. “He is a scum of this Universe!”

The Zizon looked at the Draconian, her expression still complete impassively. “During ze Great Time War,” she began, her tongue constantly slipping out and flicking all around her mouth. “Ze Daleks invaded our 'ome. Ze Time Lord fleet, zey passed on by, but zere was one zat came to 'elp us... one zat did not follow 'is orders. Zey lured away ze Daleks. Without zem, we would be dead. And ze Time Lord ship – ze commander was a Time Lord by ze name of ze Doctor.”

The Doctor nodded slowly. He could remember that. “I ... couldn't leave you to be killed.”

“I am in your debt, Time Lord,” she said. 

“You don't owe me anything,” the Doctor told her straight. “Thank you for what you just did.”

She nodded. “What is your mission? Maybe I can 'elp?”

The Doctor looked at the others in the room, then at the floor, then back at Zizon. “I'm sorry, I have to do this alone.”

“Then per'aps I  _ can _ 'elp you, Time Lord,” she said after a moment's though. “Listen carefully, I shall only say zis once.”

She leant forward, and whispered a number combination in his ear. Then without another glance at him, she slid back up the metal rail back to where she'd been before.

* * *

The entire trip took two  _ very _ long hours, abundant with insults and death threats to the Time Lord from three of the four other prisoners, despite the Doctor's best efforts to change topic. He'd tried the weather, Universal news, an intellectual word game, he'd even tried a chorus of Kum Ba Yah to try and lighten the mood, but they just weren't interested in anything but killing him. He was somewhat relieved when they finally docked and Draconian was taken out first, followed by the Sontaran, then the Ogron, and then the Zizon. Finally the Judoon came back for him, finally releasing his arms from the metal bar, only to bind them behind his back instead.

He was escorted out of the ship and al-but dragged into the Shadow Proclamation. His collar bone had since got back feeling and was consequently coursing with pain, and his knee was bending awkwardly so as to make sure he was in pain on both fronts. But the Judoon didn't seem to care, no matter what he did or said.

He was taken into a lift secured for prisoner transportation, pinned against the wall by massive Judoon hands. The lift went up, up and up, the Doctor watching the numbers fly through until they got to floor 167.

He was lifted off the wall and shoved into the corridor in front of the Judoon. He stumbled and cried out as pain shot through his leg, collapsing face-first onto the ground without his hands available to cushion the blow. The Judoon made no indication of compassion once again, grabbing him under his elbows and dragging him to his feet, shoving guns into his back. They ignored his protests, forcing him to limp down the corridor to wherever their destination may have been.

They reached a temporary holding cell, where his wrists were finally freed and he was left alone in the room, the door hissing shut. He waited a few moments before moving over to check the barrier between him and freedom. A gene scanner.

* * *

“ _ Okay, okay, try again,” Koschei said, his patience clearly wearing thin. “You'll get the hang of it. You have to concentrate on your hand ...”  _

“ _ I know, I know!” Theta replied, irate. “Close your eyes, try and shift the molecules in your mind, bla bla.” _

“ _ Well do it then!” Koschei urged. _

_ Theta took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and concentrated. Ten intense seconds passed before he opened his eyes, a grin in place. _

“ _ Did I do it? Did I? Did I do it?” _

“ _ Err ...” Koschei muttered, staring at Theta's hand. _

_ Theta looked down and saw his hand. It had turned black and he'd fused his two middle fingers together. “Oh.” _

_ Koschei pulled a face. “Maybe we should give up and go to the Hospitallers ...” _

“ _ No,” Theta insisted. “I can do this.” _

_ Koschei shook his head in dismay. “Thete, you're gonna end up turning yourself into a Flubble.” _

“ _ No, I can do this, I know I can,” Theta replied quickly. “Just one more go.” _

_ Koschei sighed, pulling back to lean back in the chair and holding up his hands. “All right, but don't blame me when you're squidging around Salmara's Desert trying to find some grub to eat.” _

_ Theta ignored him, and closed his eyes, concentrating. He envisioned his old Gallifreyan hand in his mind, forcing the molecules to obey to his will ... _

_ Koschei gasped. “Thete! Look!” _

_ Theta opened his eyes, and his hand had returned to normal. He flexed it and tested the fingers ... it was definitely how it it used to be. _

“ _ I did it!” Theta tried to say, but all that came out instead was a loud 'blurp' sound. _

_ Koschei and Theta slowly raised their heads to look at each other. _

“ _ Please tell me that was indigestion,” Koschei muttered. _

_ Theta blurped again. Then he started heaving, as if about to throw up. Koschei barely had enough time to get out of the way before Theta threw up green slime all over the desk and Koschei's chair. _

“ _ Hospitallers?” Koschei wondered vaguely. _

_ Theta nodded, looking very green in the face. _

* * *

The Doctor stared at the gene scanner, trying to recall what Koschei had told him so long ago. He raised his hand in the air and closed his eyes, imagining himself with a Judoon hand. He willed the molecules to rearrange themselves, to try and deceive the gene scanner. Ten seconds passed, before he reached forward and pressed his hand to the scanner. With an affirmative beep, the door slid back. He opened his eyes and checked his hand ... It looked normal. He paused for a moment, waiting for the feeling of nausea, but it didn't come.

He'd done it.

“Thanks, Koschei,” the Doctor murmured with a smile, and stepped through the open door.

He didn't know exactly where Rose was, but he figured he'd start making his way to floor five again. But as he reached the lift his phone rang – he kept forgetting he had that. He rummaged into his pocket and checked the area for security cameras before answering.

“ _ Doctor,”  _ it was the Master again. “ _ Are you in the Shadow Proclamation?” _

“Yeah,” the Doctor replied.

“ _ I know where your wife is,”  _ the Master continued. “ _ Floor 168, room 14.” _

The Doctor didn't even bother asking how he knew, assuming he was monitoring the communications. “Thanks.”

The Master hung up. The Doctor slipped his phone back into his pocket, checking the area before moving off.

* * *

Floor 168 seemed to be a floor for holding long-term prisoners. He moved as quietly as he could down the corridor, alert for any guards. There were no guards in the Shadow Proclamation, anymore ... Where had they all gone?

Finally he reached room fourteen, but there was no window, and the door was not locked with a gene scanner – rather a system of bolts and a number combination lock. He took his chances, hammering in the number combination that the zizon had whispered to him. It worked. He then moved forward, grabbing the heavy metal bolts in his good hand and pulling them back. With a grunt he grabbed the edge of the door, pulled it open, and looked inside.

He froze on the spot.

“Leah!” he yelled, suddenly not caring for any of his pains and running forward to his little girl lying unmoving on the floor, her eyes closed. He took her into both arms, unable to anything but stare at her beautiful little face, so pale ...

“Leah,” he whispered, feeling tears welling in his eyes as he stroked her face. “I'm so sorry ... Please wake up ...”

She didn't move an inch. 

“No, no, no, no ...” he whispered, setting her on the floor to try and find some life signs. She couldn't be dead. He knew she wasn't dead. He hovered a hand over her mouth, and the other one checked her pulse. She was alive, she was still going ...

“Ah, there he is,” the Master's voice suddenly came from the doorway, and the Doctor whirled his head around to find the other Time Lord walking in with two Judoon in tow, carrying a body. They tossed it onto the floor in front of the Doctor. It was Rose. “Ah, what a nice family reunion!” 

The Doctor stared at him, almost unable to comprehend it before utter and complete anger burst through his blood … “You!” he shrieked.

The Master looked at his face, sympathetic. “Isn't that what you wanted, Doctor? One reunited happy family? Look what I did for you, my  _ best friend.” _

The Doctor couldn't hold it in anymore, both of the bonds to his wife and his daughter surging through him so viciously his eyes felt like they were pulsating. He jumped to his feet and ran over to the Master faster than lightning itself, and punched him in the face.

The Master yelped and fell to the floor, but the Doctor had little opportunity to revel in this before the door slid closed with an unforgiving bang, almost trapping his arm in it. The locks went into place with a mechanical click.

“How could you!?” the Doctor screamed through the door, banging it with his fist. “How  _ could  _ you!? I trusted you!”

He pulled back from the door, staring into its opaqueness. Still angered, he turned back to his wife and toddler lying unmoving on the floor, and instantly his anger faded away into nothing but complete guilt.

They were all prisoners.

There was nothing he could do.

And it was all his fault.


	21. His Name Is...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roses discovers the Doctor's mistake of trusting the Master with their daughter, and old memories come to light.

The Judoon returned only a few minutes later to thoroughly search and process him, Rose and Leah. The entire contents of his pockets were confiscated, as were his tie and shoelaces. They then clamped the familiar metal bands that forbade exit of the room to his and his family's wrists. They swiftly left again without another word, the door slamming closed and locking. Any slim chance of escape had just been tarnished. 

He just sat down next to Leah and took her onto his lap, looking down at her face as his hand held hers. He was staring at her tiny fingers and struggling not to cry. He didn't know what to do. The Master had won, and the Doctor had given it all to him. He'd trusted the Master, like a fool. Now he would lose his entire family for his stupidity.

He sat there for ten minutes, just holding his daughter whilst checking constantly that she was breathing. He assumed they had drugged her. How had he not felt her panicking? Maybe she  _ hadn't  _ been panicking. Maybe she thought Uncle Harry would protect her because her Daddy had told her he would ...

Suddenly Rose shifted, coming to. She opened her eyes and looked at him sitting there, holding Leah. Her eyes widened and she struggled to her knees to kneel in front of him, checking Leah in his arms.

“Oh God,” she whispered. “They caught you?”

The Doctor could barely speak. “I'm so sorry, Rose...” he croaked, still holding Leah's little limp hand.

She leant forward to check Leah. “What happened to her? Is she okay?”

He nodded. “I think she's been drugged,” he muttered. 

Rose was alarmed to see he was almost crying. She took Leah from his arms, placing her down on the Doctor's coat as carefully as she could before she directed her attentions back to him, holding him tightly.

“We can get out of this,” she assured him. “We always do.”

“No, we can't,” the Doctor whispered, holding up his wrist to indicate the metal bands they all had. “We're in high security, I can't get us out. Soon I'll be transferred to Volag-noc, Leah will become their test subject and you ...” He paused, taking a breath. “You're not important to them.”

“... There has to be a way?” Rose asked quietly.

He shook his head. “This is all my fault.”

“No, it's not,” Rose said gently. “Don’t be stupid.”

“But it is,” he replied, looking at her sadly. “I ... I gave Leah to the Master to look after her.”

Rose's face fell, and for a moment she could only stare. He waited, and then it came.

“You gave our daughter to the  _ Master?!”  _ she shrieked.

He nodded silently, swallowing.

“You stupid bastard!” she yelled, infuriated as she lifted a hand and slapped him straight across the face. He didn't even bother trying to dodge it.

“I deserved that,” he muttered.

“Yes, you did!” Rose almost screamed back. “You gave our daughter to the Master on a plate! Why didn't you just put a bullet in her head  _ for _ him?!”

The Doctor tried to swallow his tears, but he couldn't. The next thing he knew he was sobbing in front of her, tears running down his cheeks. “I'm so sorry, Rose,” he choked through his tears.

She watched him break down in front of her for a moment, every tear like a little bit of his soul was falling out. He cried until he couldn’t cry anymore, and throughout it Rose just stared at him, absolutely appalled.

“Why?” she eventually asked.

He couldn't even look at her. “...I thought it counted for something ... I thought I meant something ...” he whispered.

“Tell me,” she said.

He didn't answer verbally, instead leaning forward to press his head to her's, closing his eyes...

* * *

_ She was standing in a dark room, seeing through his eyes. Things took a few moments to adjust before her senses began to align, and she realised she was standing up, and had been for quite a few days, her hands tied in the air. _

_ She tried to shout, but nothing came out. She tried to move, but she couldn't. It was his memory. What was this?!  _

_ Suddenly the far door open, bright, blinding light bursting in and almost shattering her eyes. Four men, much taller than her, flooded into the room, all wearing long flowing robes and sporting strange hats. They were gallifreyans. _

_ One moved forward. “Theta,” he grated.  _

“ _ Father?” she heard herself say. It was a child's voice. _

“ _ Your mother and I are extremely disappointed in you. If it were up to me, I would disown you. But your mother insists you have simply been misguided. She has been crying since Otherstide.” _

“ _ I'm sorry, Father...” _

“ _ What good are apologies now, Theta?” the man demanded to know, and Rose truly felt the fear that only a child could get from being yelled at by a parent. “You've brought this on yourself, boy. I cannot stop the actions of the authorities. Is there nothing you will tell us to prevent what is about to happen?” _

_ Several thoughts flashed through her mind. It had been Koschei, not her. He'd done it, and she was taking the blame. She wasn't going to dob him in though, he was her best friend. She would endure anything they threw at her – to protect Koschei. _

“ _... Nothing, Father,” she finally heard herself say quietly. _

_ The man looked at her disappointedly. “Then I hope, for your sake, you will come out of this with a changed attitude.” He turned to the others in the room, suddenly completely losing interest in her. “I leave him in your care. Do as you please for as long as you please.” _

_ Her father strode out of the door, disappearing with a flourish of his cloak. Rose felt herself tense, suddenly absolutely terrified before the remaining men in the room began to move towards her ... _

_ Then suddenly she wasn't in that memory, anymore. She was flying through his mind, fast-forwarding everything that had happened. He was screaming, he was in complete agony, and all the time, he refused to tell them he was completely innocent – protecting Koschei ... _

_ Finally it stopped, and she was stood in the grounds of some kind of large, old-looking building ... The Time Academy. She was learning to be a Time Lord, here, and she'd been gone for four months since the fatal prank had occurred... _

_ Her body was still aching, underneath her robes she was scarred beyond belief. She wasn't allowed to say anything or show anyone ... and she was too scared to. She didn't want to go back there, ever. _

_ People were saying hello to her, welcoming her back. They seemed to think she'd been ill. But she didn't really know how to talk to anyone anymore, so she'd just nodded at them and uttered quiet thank yous _

_ Finally she reached her dormitory, and found Koschei lounging on her bed. He sat up and beamed at the sight of her. _

“ _ Thete!” he exclaimed. “Heard you were coming back today! Where've you been?” _

“ _... Ill,” she heard herself say quietly. _

“ _ Yeah, you still look a bit pale,” Koschei said. “I know what'll get you going. They've got roasted Grockleroots in the café today! Total fine dining.” _

_ She forced herself to smile. “Sounds great.” _

_ Koschei jumped to his feet and moved to her, suddenly wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Thanks for taking the wrap for that prank. I really owe you one, all right?” _

_ She nodded as he let go of her. _

“ _ Now, let's go and eat,” Koschei said, and they started towards the door. _

_ The world began to twist and merged again and she was flying through the Doctor's life; pain, laughter, joy, anger and sorrow from 900 years of space and time travel. Finally she screeched to a halt, and she found herself sitting in a house on Earth. Leah was in the car with Jack outside, and in front of her sat the Master, gazing at her sadly. _

_ “Wow ... This is really big,” the Master breathed, his hand on his forehead. “What makes you think you can trust me?” _

_ “What makes you think I can't trust you?” she asked. “Master, I know times have changed. Concerning Gallifrey... concerning us. There's so much that's changed but the only things that haven't changed are Koschei and Theta. They're both still alive, and fighting. Theta needs Koschei ... just one last time.” _

_ She watched the Master as he swallowed. “How long for?” _

_ “Until I sort this whole mess out,” she said in a lighter voice, realising she was getting through... “A couple of days, a week at the most?” _

_ There was a long pause as she gazed at him, pleading with him. _

_ “Okay,” the Master finally said. “I'll do it.” _

* * *

Rose opened her eyes, her mouth open as he drew back from her, and gazed at the floor.

“Was that ...?”

“I'm Theta,” the Doctor began quietly. “And the Master is Koschei.”

And just like that, Rose understood. She knew why he had trusted the Master. Why he’d  _ had  _ to believe in him.

“Oh God,” she whispered, staring at him. She was about to cry, now. “I'm so sorry.”

“Yeah,” he croaked quietly.

“I can't believe you did that for him ...”

He started crying again. Rose had never seen him cry so much.

“This is all my fault,” he gasped, tears splashing down. “I thought he would ... I thought I could ...”

“Shh, Doctor,” she whispered, cupping his face in both hands, leaning forward so their noses were millimetres away. “It's okay. I understand. I get it,” she whispered, and kissed him, tasting his tears. “You couldn't have seen that coming, he's a bigger piece of worthless shit than you ever thought imaginable.”

“It didn't mean anything, did it?” the Doctor whispered. “All of that. It was for nothing. I was tortured for no reason. I protected him for no reason. And now I’ve got us all imprisoned.”

“This wasn't your fault,” she insisted. “This was all him.”

“I want to kill him, Rose,” he whispered. “I'm going to kill him.” He was staring with wide eyes at the floor, flickering around, as if planning his exact course of action ... “I'm going to make him suffer, and then I'm going to string him up and let him die and rot, slowly and painfully ...”

“No,” Rose said instantly.

“Why not?” the Doctor demanded to know, suddenly angry. “I fought in the Time War, he didn't. I'm a trained soldier, a trained assassin. I could have him dead in less than two seconds. It's so easy. I've done it thousands of times before. I can kill him, right now ... He won't even see me coming ...”

“Then he wins,” Rose said firmly. “If you kill him, you'll be just like him. I love you, Doctor. Leah loves you. Jack loves you, Martha, Mickey, Sarah ... every single one of us. How many people have you met and inspired? How many people love you? The Master doesn't have any of that, he's completely alone. Because he kills, and you don't. Yeah, I want him to die for what he's done too, but you're not the one to do it.”

And with that, she leant forward and kissed him with every ounce of love she could manage, tongues and all. When she'd drawn back she could see he had calmed down somewhat, staring at her with wide eyes.

“The Master ever got that?” Rose wondered, forcing a smile.

He smiled weakly. “Thank you, Rose.”

She held him, but then he suddenly tense in her arms and cried out in pain. She pulled back, alarmed as the Doctor pulled an apologetic face.

“Sorry,” he said. “Broken my collar bone.”

It was only then Rose realised her shoulder was tingly – the sign through the bond that he'd damaged it. Her knee was also tingling, as well the left side of her chest, and the side of her head. She pulled open his shirt and checked the damage to his chest, only to find it was badly bruised and swollen.

“Cracked ribs,” he said on cue. “And torn knee ligament. Bullet graze and a fair whack on the head.”

“Oh God, what did they do to you?” Rose asked instantly.

“Oh, they didn't, I crashed Jack's car and then got chased by the police, got shot and fell into a ditch.”

Rose stared at him. “I feel like I've started readin’ a book from the middle.”

He grinned, a genuine gesture this time before he began to explain all he'd been through since they had parted. When he was done Rose just stared at him, frowning.

“So!” the Doctor began happily. “What've you been up to?”

“Clearly not as much as you,” Rose replied, and then burst into laughter, holding him again. But this time, she was careful. “I know I shouldn’t but I feel better knowin’ that you punched the Master in the face. I hope you broke somethin’.”

He laughed, and a few seconds later there was the sound of a toddler rousing from behind Rose. She opened her eyes, looking up to see her parents above her. She smiled.

“Mummy,” she said, a little weakly.

“Hello again, feels like I haven't seen you for years,” Rose replied, leaning down to kiss her little girl.

“I missed you, Mummy.”

“I missed you too,” Rose replied as the Doctor pulled Leah up to lie comfortably in his lap, looking down at her and smiling as best he could.

“Daddy, why I feel funny?” she asked, blinking erratically.

“It's something the bad people gave you to make you sleep,” the Doctor said gently. “You'll feel better in a minute.”

“Oh,” she said, reaching up to run her hands over her face. Then she noticed the metal band around her wrist, and frowned. “Daddy, what?” she asked, holding up the wrist with the band on.

The Doctor glanced at Rose. “That's something that stops you leaving this room, Leah. Don't leave this room unless me or Mummy say so, okay?”

She nodded, looking around room with interest. “Where are we?”

The Doctor glanced at Rose again, who nodded. “We've been caught by the bad people, Leah. They keeping us locked in this room because they don't want us to leave. But hey, at least we're all together now, right?”

She smiled, and reached out one hand to her mum, her hand dwarfed in Rose's. “Will the bad people do bad things to us?” she asked her mum.

Rose tried not to wince at the thought of that. “They might. But remember, whatever happens, you have to be really brave through it all.”

“Mmkay,” she replied.

Rose looked at the Doctor again, who was looking around the room. “Can’t see any cameras,” he muttered to her, before looking back at Leah, leaning in, conspiratorial. “And now we're all together, we need to talk to you about something.”

“Is this about the thing in Mummy's tummy?” Leah asked tiredly.

The Doctor looked surprised. “Um, yeah. In there is a little tiny person, your little brother. He's growing in there to keep warm and safe, and when he comes out he needs his big sister to protect him.”

“Can I boss him around?” Leah wondered.

“No. Well, yes. A little bit.”

“What's his name?”

Rose jumped in instantly. “His name is Michael.”

“No, it's not,” the Doctor said gently to the girl. “His name is Louis.”

“That's a silly name, Daddy,” Rose said instantly. “His name is Ben.”

“Well, I don't really like that name, Mummy,” the Doctor replied. “His name is Henry.”

“His name is Freddie.”

“Daniel.”

“Tom.”

“Will.”

“Oliver!”

“James!”

“Sam!”

“David!!!”

“Aaron!!!”

“Okay, okay!” the Doctor said quickly. “Mummy and Daddy haven't  _ quite _ agreed on a name yet, Leah. But as long as we're in this place you can't mention him at all, don't even say there's anything in Mummy's tummy, all right?”

She nodded. “Okay.”

“Good,” the Doctor said, brushing back her hair. “Now try and get some sleep while Daddy tries to work out our great escape plan.”

She beamed. “Okay,” she said, snuggling down into his lap. Within minutes she had faded, and the Doctor looked at Rose. 

“You haven't got a  _ clue _ have you,” Rose said quietly.

“Nope,” the Doctor croaked.


	22. Tylers Don't Back Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor is desperate to escape, and the Master's on a power trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know. It's been forever. So sorry! :(

Time passed immensely slowly.

There was little in the way of comforts in the cell. It was completely bare apart from a small transmat platform for food, and an alien version of a toilet in the corner that the Doctor had talked Rose through how to use. The floor was dirty, and there were no windows - only the door, which the Doctor had been trying to break through. He was getting nowhere. Without his sonic he couldn’t slide the bolts on the other side of the door, and the zizon’s code no longer worked. He was trying to use his hands to vibrate the door to move the bolts, and hack the keypad, but he’d already been working for an hour to no effect.

“Give it up,” Rose told him, sitting against the wall. “Come and sit down.”

“I’m nearly there.”

“Doctor, please,” Rose said.

“I have to get us out.”

“Doctor,” she said firmly. “You’ve been tryin’ for ages. It won’t work. And even if we got out, we’d just get zapped,” she said, indicating the metal band around her wrist. “Just come and sit down. You’re makin’ me even more nervous.”

He stopped, looking at her. He let his hands drop before he resigned to the situation and sagged, just as the transmat activated. The Doctor retrieved the food, bringing it back to Rose.

“You know, this is all they've been givin' me for weeks, but I still dunno what the heck it is,” she said, staring at the white block of seemingly nougat about the size of an AA battery.

The Doctor looked at it. “It's a sustenance chew. Contains all the essential vitamins and fibres and whatnot to feed a single person for a day. Compact and cheap.”

“Single person,” Rose repeated.

He nodded, then broke the nougat-thing in two, handing one half to Rose before waking up Leah and giving her the other half.

“Eat it slowly,” the Doctor told the girl gently as he helped her to sit up. “Make it last a while.”

“Mmkay,” Leah replied tiredly, nibbling at the strange white block without question.

The Doctor realised that Rose was staring at him. “Make yours last too,” he said.

She stared at him some more, than reached up to break her piece in half to make sure he got some, but the Doctor quickly stopped her.

“You're eating for two,” he warned. “You need it. I can go for a bit without food.”

Rose had to concede, but didn't look happy about it. 

“Did you think of a plan yet, Daddy?” Leah wondered, still nibbling on the white block.

“Not yet,” he admitted. “But I’m working on it.”

The transmat suddenly activated again. The Doctor glanced at Rose, frowning and moving over. 

It was his phone. The one the judoon had taken from him. And it was ringing.

“But that’s your phone!” Rose realised.

The Doctor didn’t say anything. He just picked up the phone and opened it. Unknown number. He held it to his ear. “Who is this?”

Silence came back to him for a moment, before there was the sound of static and a very muffled whisper.

“ _ You're wondering who forced you and your family here.” _

The Doctor straightened instantly, feeling Rose and Leah's eyes on him. “Who is this?”

“ _ I'm looking at you all right now... Oh Leah's so pretty, isn't she? She's eating that chew a bit fast.” _

“Who is this?!” the Doctor demanded again, looking around the room for a camera... “Are you the one that's done this?”

“ _ Indeed, I am. Do you want to know how I did it?” _

The Doctor swallowed. “Yes.”

“ _ Say please.” _

“Yes, please,” the Doctor amended.

“ _ I told the Shadow Proclamation a little secret.” _

“What secret?”

“ _ Well I can't tell you, it's a secret, Doctor. But what's funny is they've been falling over themselves trying to hunt you and your daughter down ever since, corrupting themselves in the process. And I get to watch you struggle every step of the way...” _

“Just tell me who you are,” the Doctor said quickly. “Do I know you?”

" _ Oh, you know me, Doctor. You know me right now. Or at least, you know of me. But I'm not interested in that. The Master's betrayed you. How long until the saintly Doctor takes revenge?"  _

The Doctor gritted his teeth. “Tell me your name.”

“ _ The Master was an unexpected additional delight, I've gotta say. But not even he knows he's taking part in the game you're all playing. I wonder who'll win? I can't wait. But between you and me, Doctor, I'm rooting for you.” _

“Tell me who you are!!!”

“ _ Ta-ta, Doctor, this next bit is going to be exciting, because the Master is coming towards your cell holding a knife – and he doesn't look happy.” _

The other person hung up. The Doctor blinked, staring at the phone.

“Who was that?” Rose asked.

The Doctor ignored the question when he heard the bolts on the door slide. He stood up as quickly as he could, gesturing for Rose and Leah to get in the corner. They quickly obliged without question, and seconds later the door burst open and the Master stormed in, staring at the Doctor with utter malice.

Rose suddenly burst into laughter, noticing the rather severe black eye the Master had. He looked at Rose, then back at the Doctor, and strolled towards the other Time Lord with a knife in hand, who quickly backed away in the fastest limp he could manage until he hit the wall, making sure the Master was away from his family.

The Master quickly reached him, holding the knife to his throat. 

“You shouldn’t have punched me, Snail. You know what happens when you try something smart. Say sorry.”

The Doctor didn’t say anything.

“Uncle Harry,” Leah began, looking as thought she were about to cry. “What are you doing?”

The Master smiled slightly, pressing the knife to the Doctor's face. The Doctor felt it cut into his flesh.

“Say sorry!” he demanded of the Doctor.

The Doctor said nothing.

The Master abruptly punched the Doctor in the stomach. The Doctor wheezed and doubled-over, holding up his hand as Leah squealed. Rose grabbed her instantly, holding her against her so as not to let her see what was being done to her father.

“Wait, stop,” the Doctor gasped urgently. “This is all being manipulated, someone's playing a game with us and you're right in the middle of...”

The Master cut him off in mid-sentence, grabbing his neck and slamming him against the wall. “Is this bringing back some memories, Theta?” he wondered. “Did you tell your stupid human wife about this one or did you lie about that as well? How  _ are  _ those trust issues?”

“Doctor…” Rose whined.

The Doctor didn’t look at her, trying to squirm out of the Master’s grip. The Master just threw him to the floor and stepped forward, glaring down at him. 

“Want to punch me again, Theta?” he taunted. “Come on, say sorry. Just like we practised for a year.”

“I’m sorry,” the Doctor gasped out.

“Say my name.”

“M-Master.”

“Now put it all together, there’s a good boy.”

“I’m s-sorry, Master. Please don’t.”

“Better,” the Master grated, and kicked him. He looked at Rose and Leah, the latter burying her head into her mother. “Did you hear that, Leah? Your daddy knows his place in the pecking order. Isn’t it pathetic how he’s learnt to beg me?”

“Please,” the Doctor moaned, coughing. “D-do whatever you want to me but  _ please  _ d-don't do this in front of my d-daughter.”

“No. You don’t get to plead, not this time. Because I think little Leah should know  _ exactly  _ what you are.”

“Stop!” the Doctor yelled. 

The Master kicked him again. “I’m talking!” he shrieked, and placed his foot lightly on the Doctor’s broken collar bone.

“Stop it,” Rose suddenly demanded. “Leave him alone, Master.”

“R-Rose, don’t,” the Doctor said quickly.

Rose abruptly fell silent, holding Leah closer to her.

“So cute,” the Master mused, looking between them. “I do like an obedient, doting, loyal wife. When I’m done with you maybe I can work on her.”

The Doctor’s eyes burnt. “D-Don’t  _ touch  _ her.”

“Would you prefer little Leah, then?”

“Go anywhere n-near them and you’ll r-regret it,” the Doctor warned.

“Is that a threat?” the Master wondered idly. “I don’t take threats from cowards.” And with that, he pressed his foot down. 

The Doctor couldn't help the tear of the scream that ripped from his throat as a consequence. In the seconds that followed the Master moved towards Leah and Rose, and Rose cried out in alarm. The Doctor launched himself at the Master’s foot, catching him mid-step. The Master only just caught himself on the wall and turned back to the Doctor, absolutely infuriated. He grabbed the Doctor’s lapels one-handed and threw him hard to the ground. Within seconds the Doctor was up again, and launching himself at the Master, but in the altercation the knife the Master was holding plunged into the Doctor's abdomen.

Rose saw it, and screamed, clinging even tighter onto Leah, who was crying. The Doctor stumbled back, blood spilling out from between his fingers before he quickly sank to the floor.

The Master looked a bit surprised, checking his knife. “Didn’t mean to do that,” he said, shrugging a little. He then turned to Rose and Leah, his eyes fixing on the two-year-old. He brandished the knife and walked straight up to the girl, wrenching her one-handed out of her mother's tight hold. But suddenly the Doctor ploughed into the side of him, sending him careering into the floor, dropping the knife in surprise. The Doctor scooped up the knife and jumped onto the Master in less than a second, his knee pressing into the Master's stomach and the knife pressed again his throat as he stared down at him with utter hatred.

The Master looked up in utter shock at the speed the wounded Doctor had moved. The Doctor just stared at him, those deep brown eyes boring into his without even blinking.

“Doctor...” Rose urged, already holding Leah again, comforting the girl as she sobbed.

The Doctor's expression didn't change. “Me, a coward?” he question with a steel edge to his voice, breathing steadily through the agony in his stomach. “I'm not the sell-out, here. I'm never going to forgive you for what you've done.” He leant forward to the Master's ear, making sure Leah or Rose couldn't hear his next words. “I'm not going to kill you, not because I don't want to, but because my daughter is in the room. Another time, another place, Master, and you are  _ dead.  _ And I'll warn you now. It won't be quick. It'll be  _ slow _ ,  _ agonising _ and  _ humiliating _ , and I am going to enjoy  _ every _ second of it. And if you so much as  _ look  _ at my daughter again, I won't save  _ any _ of your dignity during it.”

He drew back from the Master, throwing the knife across the room with such force that it buried itself into the metal wall three inches deep. The Master quickly scrambled to his feet, backing away from the Doctor, apprehensive, before he turned and made for the door.

“Oh, and one more thing,” the Doctor began, and the Master stopped dead in his tracks. “You’re no longer Koschei, so don't  _ ever  _ call me Theta again.”

The Master grabbed his knife and left quickly, the door slamming closed behind him. The Doctor rapidly collapsed to the floor, curling in on himself and holding his stomach before Rose moved over, her breath caught in her throat. Her husband was bleeding out, lying there struggling to stay conscious...

“Oh God,” she croaked, pushing him to flop onto his back and peeling back his shirt to reveal a bloody mess. “What do I do, Doctor?!”

“P-pressure,” he whispered. “On the w-wound.”

She quickly took off her hoody and covered the bloody mess, pressing down. The Doctor writhed beneath her, crying out in pain. He was starting to pale.

“K-keep pressure,” the Doctor gasped. “Stop the… the b-bleeding.”

“Please don't die,” Rose whispered, keeping the pressure though her hands were covered in his blood.

“N-no,” the Doctor breathed. “Won't d-die, promise. K-keep pressure.”

“I am, I am,” Rose said quickly. She looked around to see the Leah sitting where Rose had left her, staring in horror at her dad.

“Leah,” she urged. “Come here and sit next to Daddy.”

Leah just stared, her eyes wide as dinner plates.

“Leah,” the Doctor breathed. “C-come here. Come t-talk to me.”

She remained still.

“Leah!” the Doctor suddenly shouted with as much energy he could muster. “C-come here,  _ now!” _

Leah moved in a flash, clearly scared. He’d never yelled directly at her before. She stood next to his head and he reached out to take her hand.

“S-sorry for shouting at y-you,” he said, breathing heavily to try and suppress the pain and gain some control. She didn't say a word, staring at him in horror. “T-talk to me, Leah,” the Doctor breathed. He had to calm her down to make it less traumatic. “That was r-really scary, w-wasn't it?”

She nodded as she sobbed, reaching down to hug his head. “Please don't die.” 

“I'm not go-going to d-die,” he said weakly. “Cos I know y-you and Mummy are going to take g-good care of me. Everything's g-going to be fine, I p-promise. Did he hurt y-you?”

She sniffed and raised her arm. The Doctor took it gently, checking it over, but there was nothing wrong with it apart from a bit red where the Master had grabbed her.

“That'll h-heal up fine,” the Doctor replied quietly, pulling her down to hug him again. “I'm p-proud of you, you're s-so brave, I would be c-crying my eyes out c-curled up into a b-ball in the corner r-right now I were y-you.”

She giggled through her sniffs. He offered his best smile and kissed her forehead, before suppressing a yell as Rose readjusted her grip on the hoody pressing to his abdomen.

Suddenly there was the sound of synchronised footsteps marching towards them from outside their cell. The judoon. Rose shielded the Doctor in case the Master was with them, and seconds later the door opened once more, to reveal five Judoon standing in the doorway, guns as always pointed in the humanoids' direction. No Master.

“The child hybrid will come with us,” one of the judoon stated.

Leah held her dad tighter in fear as Rose continued to put pressure on the wound, despite her hoody was fast becoming soaked in blood. She looked up at the Judoon with fury.

“Your prisoner's just been beaten and stabbed!” Rose yelled. “For God's sake, help him!”

“Unrelated case,” the judoon gruffed. “The child hybrid will come with us...” The guns clicked, the sure sign of being loaded ready to fire. “Now.”

“No!” Rose shouted, feeling herself about to cry. “What are you gonna do to her!?”

“Need to know only,” the judoon said. “The child hybrid will come now, or be forced.”

“Need to know!?” Rose almost shrieked. “I'm her mum!”

“Rose,” the Doctor croaked, quickly grabbing her arm from where he still lay on the floor. “If she doesn't go they will shoot her ...”

“Like hell they will!” Rose shouted, letting go of the hoody and taking Leah in her arms instead, shielding her from the Judoon.

The Doctor cried out as he struggled to sit up, one hand holding the hoody with the other propping him up. “Rose ...” he gasped, sweat lining his forehead. “I don't want it either, but if they don't get her, they will kill her ...”

Rose knew he was right, but she just couldn't. “No,” she sobbed, holding Leah tightly. “I won't let her go, Doctor, I won't let her go ...”

“You have twenty seconds,” the judoon gruffed.

The Doctor struggled to his knees, crying out in pain before he managed to reach Rose's height. He fell onto them in a hug, kissing both of them.

“Rose ...” he whispered warningly.

She looked at him through a mess of blonde hair, tears rolling down her cheeks. She wished she didn't have to, but they had no choice. They had to let Leah go with the judoon. “I know,” she muttered, kissing Leah again before setting her on the floor. “Be brave, Leah, really brave. We love you.”

“They might do things you don't like, but just do whatever they tell you to,” the Doctor whispered as he struggled to stay conscious, cupping her cheek. “But soon you'll be back here with us, and you can tell us everything. We'll be waiting for you, okay? Me and Mummy love you very much.”

“Okay,” Leah said quietly, still sobbing slightly. 

“Dry those tears,” he encouraged through pants for air.

“You're a Tyler, and Tylers don't back down,” Rose said, trying to smile.

“Now!” the Judoon gruffed.

“Go with them, Leah,” Rose whispered, letting the girl pass to go to the door. As she reached the judoon, they nulled her metal wristband and picked her up under one arm. Rose took hold of the Doctor in a hug to help him to sit up but also for comfort as the door slamming closed behind their daughter.

Rose held onto the Doctor tightly, unable to stop the tears then. But he didn't hug back. It was only then she noticed he had passed out, his face almost completely white.

“No, no, no ...” she breathed, lying him back down on the floor again and trying to put pressure on the blood flow. “You promised, Doctor!”

Her bond with him was screaming danger, and all she could do was hold her hoody to his bleeding abdomen and hope the Master hadn't won after all this.


	23. A Hairy Situation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still trapped, the Doctor and Rose discuss the future of their son. Rose makes a monumental decision in order to save her family.

It felt like hours since Leah had been taken away, and Rose had only just stopped crying. They could be doing anything to Leah right now, and Rose was terrified. Not to mention the fact while her daughter was having god-knew-what done to her by the Shadow Proclamation, meanwhile, her husband was lying limp and pale and probably suffering from blood loss in her arms from a hole in his stomach. 

Rose had tried to care for him as best she could, covering him with his coat, even taking the phone to see if she could try and get hold of Martha for some medical assistance – but it had no battery leftl. At least he had a bit more colour in his cheeks – not a huge amount, but she hoped it meant he was getting better.

When the Doctor opened his eyes Rose had him in her lap, cupping his head. 

He looked up at her groggily. “Leah's not back?” he whispered.

She noticed him, stroking his face and shaking her head. 

“How long was I out?”

Rose could only shrug. “I dunno ... a few hours, I think.”

He nodded, looking down at his abdomen, still covered by Rose's hoody that was now soaked in blood. He winced, reaching down weakly with his good hand to pull it back, looking at the wound in amongst the bruises. At least it wasn't bleeding anymore. 

He groaned and attempted to sit up. Rose helped him until he was sat up against the wall, breathing heavily and clutching at his stomach as he blinked erratically.

“Okay?” Rose asked, holding him.

He just kissed her in return, leaning on her and the wall for support. “I’ve lost a lot of blood,” he said. “But I'm making new blood right now.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, anxious. 

He nodded. “I've had worse, much worse.”

“Good,” she said quietly. 

The Doctor looked at her. She realised she probably looked like a mess from crying, and tried wiping at her eyes. 

“I'll be okay, and Leah can handle herself,” he assured her. “You know what she's like.”

Rose nodded, holding him tighter. “I know, it's just ...” She paused for a moment. “... What's Volag-noc?”

“It's a high security prison on one of the coldest planets in the universe. Security tightened up recently too, I think they just take mass murderers and the like, now.”

“And they're sendin' you there,” Rose croaked.

He looked at her. “I have no intention of going back there.”

“Back?”

“Long story, Balthazar, some gold and a teaspoon,” the Doctor said, grunting as he shifted again. “But,” he said through pants, leaning closer to her to whisper, checking the room for cameras or sound bugs. “That phone call? It was some elusive guy trying to hide who he was. I don't know who he is, but he's playing a game with us ... and knowing that makes this easier to deal with.”

“So what do we do?”

“Break the rules of the game.”

“How?”

“Working on that bit,” he admitted. “But I don't just love your pretty face, Rose, I love that brain of yours too,” he said, grinning as he tapped her head. “So think. Even if it's not true, even if it  _ is _ true, even if it's ridiculous. Try thinking of the thing you'd never think of. If it keeps me here, helps Leah and keeps you and our boy alive, do it. No matter the consequence. If I go to Volag-noc, chances are I will never escape. And in 5,000 years when I'm released, I don't think you'll be knocking about.”

“Think of the thing I'd never think of,” Rose repeated slowly.

The Doctor frowned slightly. “Well ... I'll admit it's a little flawed. But it's the best I've got.”

She laughed and held him. “... You don't think it's the Master, do you?”

“No,” the Doctor replied. “This is  _ way  _ too smart for him. Honestly, this person is a genius. Almost as good as me.”

“Because you don't have a big ego,” Rose said sarcastically, grinning.

He beamed tiredly. “You love my big ego.”

“Yes, it is very big,” Rose replied, snorting. “Almost as big as the beard you're starting to grow.”

“And yet I was polite enough to mention nothing about your armpits.”

“Don't go there.”

“I don't want to, wading through the forest of smelly armpit hair...”

“Hey!” Rose said with a giggle.

“Change of subject,” the Doctor said quickly, grinning. He pulled out the drawing he had done at Yash's from his coat pocket, giving it to Rose. “I was thinking that's what his room could look like when we get out of here.”

Rose looked at it. “What is that?” she asked, pointing at one of the animals, something that looked like a six-legged koala.

“A flubble,” the Doctor replied. “From Gallifrey. I hid one under my bed at the Prydon Academy, it nearly got found when it went into heat and started singing its mating song.”

She laughed. “I like it.”

“We still need a name for him.”

“Whatever you want,” Rose said, kissing him with a smile.

“Okay, Alan.”

Rose stared at him. “Because he's  _ going _ to grow up to pilot Thunderbird Three.”

“You said whatever I want!”

“I meant something a little better!”

“Okay, Toby.”

“Don't like it.”

“Why don't  _ you  _ name him then,” the Doctor said, exasperated.

“Peter.”

“No.”

There was a long pause as they looked at each other. 

“Our son's never gonna get a name, is he?” Rose realised.

“Probably not,” the Doctor admitted, taking back the drawing. He looked at it one more time before folding it up and putting it back into his pocket, wincing as he moved. 

“... What d'you think they're doing to her?” Rose suddenly asked quietly.

The Doctor shifted with a grunt to put his good arm around her. “I assume medical tests, like blood, BMI, resting heart rate, organs, skeleton ... you know. It'll probably moved onto psychological testing, like intelligence, opinions, reactions ... a bit of parapsychological testing as well. Everything, really. I think they want to assess if she's a dangerous new species.”

“Are they going to hurt her?”

He looked at her. “I don't know.”

Her face fell. 

Suddenly there was a quiet, 'ping!' from across the room – dinner had arrived. Rose went to fetch it. One chew, as before.

“Half for you, half for Leah,” the Doctor said instantly.

She looked at him. “You can't starve. You need to eat.”

“There's no other option,” the Doctor said gently. “You, Leah and the baby need it more than I do.”

She didn't look happy, breaking the bar in two and biting off a bit. She looked at him for a moment, then leant forward and kissed him, still with it in her mouth. Through the kiss she pushed it into his mouth and reached up to snap his jaw closed, forcing him to swallow it.

“Okay, no more,” he said after he'd swallowed it. 

”You feel a bit hot,” Rose said, hand on his skin. “Don't get an infection.”

“Time Lords don't ...”

“Get infections, right,” Rose said, sounding somewhat unconvinced. “When did you last take the pregnancy stuff?”

But before the Doctor had a chance to reply, there came the familiar sound of the synchronised Judoon footsteps. Leah was back?

The door opened... but there was no Leah. Instead five judoon stared back, guns as always in the Doctor and Rose's direction.

“You will come,” the leader stated.

Rose obediently got to her feet as the Doctor groaned and whined in pain, using a combination of Rose and the wall to stand up. When he was upright Rose took his hand, gazing at him. The effort alone has completely drained all the colour that had since come back to his face as he drew quick, shallow breaths.

He offered her a weak smile, and squeezed her hand. She smiled in return, before they were crowded with judoon and whisked off out the door.

* * *

They were taken to a modern white room, where several women in black dresses stood waiting on a platform. The judoon marched the two prisoners to stand before them, restrained.

“Gallifreyan male known as the Doctor, you have been sentenced. You will have no chance of appeal. You will be transferred in less than one universal hour to carry out your sentence.” She turned to Rose. “Human female known as Rose Tyler, your memory will be erased and you will be escorted back to your home planet tomorrow.”

“And what about Leah?” Rose said quickly.

“The child hybrid will undergo further testing, its sentence impending,” the woman replied. “Do you have anything to say?”

Rose swallowed, looking at the Doctor. They wanted Leah. His child. Information about his child. What could she do? Think of the thing she'd never think of ...

“You might not want to get rid of me,” Rose said, stepping forward.

“And why not?” the woman demanded.

“Because ...” she glanced at the Doctor, then back at the woman. “... Because I'm pregnant.”

The Doctor stared at her, horrified. “Rose! No!”

The woman stared at her. “Scan her.”

One of the Judoon stepped forward, running the scanner over her belly before drawing back, checking the screen. It looked at the woman, and nodded.

“Confirm pregnancy.”

“It's his,” Rose said, gesturing to the Doctor.

“No, Rose!” the Doctor yelled, struggling to get free in what he was currently embracing as his most sterling acting performance since his stint in Harry Potter. “Don't do this!”

“And something else you might wanna know,” Rose began, pretending to ignore him. “The Doctor has more information for you he's been hiding about his children.”

“What information?!” the woman demanded to know, strolling up to the Doctor hanging in the Judoon's grip. She looked very alarmed. “Tell me this information!!!”

The Doctor raised his head slowly to stare at her, his eyes narrowed, cold and unrelenting. “I am  _ never  _ telling you,” he spat in her face.

She stared at him for a moment, before stepping back to turn to Rose, frowning. “Why would you betray your lover so easily?”

“He means nothing to me anymore,” Rose replied stoically. “Stupid bastard deserves to die for selling out our daughter. I couldn't care less.”

The woman continued to gaze at her for a moment, her red eyes staring at her as if trying to read Rose's mind to see if this was true. Rose maintained her demeanour for seven long, painful seconds until the woman finally looked away, and Rose glanced at the Doctor. He was throwing love at her through the bond, which she reciprocated. She gave him a ghost of a smile until the woman whirled around to face them.

“The Time Lord will be held here for an indefinite length of time to be interrogated until he has given this information, and the human woman will be held here until such time the child is born,” she announced.

Rose had to physically restrain herself from jumping up and down in delight before the woman flung out her arm and pointed at the Doctor. 

“Get him to the lower decks, start at level three interrogation,” she ordered, and the judoon moved to take him away.

“Wait, wait, Mrs ... Umm ... Proclamation!” the Doctor yelled, struggling. The judoon stopped. “One question. This level five ... How many levels are there?”

“The prosecuted have no right to question,” a judoon gruffed.

“How many levels are there?” Rose asked instantly. The judoon looked at her, opened his mouth ... “Hey, not prosecuted, yeah?” Rose interrupted. “Answer the question.”

The woman stepped forward. “There are levels attributed to how severely we interrogate, the levels in ascending order. The highest is level six.”

The Doctor pulled a face. “Right, could be worse, then.” He was pulled away again, and it wasn't hard to work out what happened next. He managed a look at Rose, a look which conveyed unspoken words.

_ Don't worry about me. _

Then he disappeared.

* * *

Rose was escorted back to a different cell, this time with a toilet and a basic bed. At least she didn't have to avoid puddles of her husband's blood anymore. 

The judoon fixed the metal band to her wrist, shut the door and left her alone. Leah wasn't back yet. Rose could only walk over to the bed and drop to sit down on it, head in her hands. What had she just done? She'd practically signed her husband's torture permit. Now he was going to be severely interrogated for information he didn't even have.

Was it better than Volag-noc? Really? 

She tried not to cry, looking at her belly. There was a tiny sign of growth in her lower abdomen. That didn't make her feel any better, because she had pointed him out to them as well. 

What the hell had she done?

It was around twenty minutes before Leah appeared, flagged by Judoon. She beamed at the sight of her mum, running to hug her tightly.

“Tell me everything,” Rose said gently, trying to hide how wretched she felt inside. “What did they do?”

“They gave me an arm needle, then everything went fuzzy and when I woke up they brought me here,” Leah replied, smiling.

Rose quickly checked her over for any evidence that they'd done something to her, but there was nothing. “So they haven't hurt you or anythin'? Do you hurt?”

Leah shook her head, before looking around the cell. “Where's Daddy?”

Rose felt herself welling up, and tried desperately to control herself in front of her daughter. “He's ... Well, Leah ... Daddy's not coming back for a bit.”

“Why? Where he go?”

“The bad people have taken him to ... ask some questions,” Rose said quietly. “He's not gonna be back for a while.”

Leah stared at her. “Mummy, why are you sad?”

Rose looked back at her, holding her tighter. “I just miss him a lot, Leah.”

“But he'll come back soon,” Leah said positively.

Rose avoided agreeing with that. “That would be nice. I think we both need to sleep now, though.”

Leah nodded in agreement as they both laid down on the cell bed, Rose holding her protectively. She waited until the even, rhythmic breaths of Leah asleep began before she began to sob quietly in the darkness.   



	24. The Return of Bundy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two months have passed, and the Doctor seems to have gone insane from his interrogation. The Shadow Proclamation make their decision on their fates.

**Two months later...**

The Master was having an exceptionally good week. In fact, he was having an exceptionally good couple of months overall. In the morning he would rise in the Doctor's TARDIS, eat the Doctor's food, then destroy something random before getting dressed and venturing out into the Shadow Proclamation for the morning's entertainment of the Doctor's interrogation. Then he would retreat back to the TARDIS and take it out for a spin to some random destination for lunch before returning to the Shadow Proclamation for the afternoon's interrogation entertainment. This would take him to dinner, where he would use the TARDIS to go to some Universally renowned restaurant for a meal, running out before he had to pay. Then it was back to the Shadow Proclamation again for the evening entertainment, before he indulged himself in the Doctor's extensive film and television DVD collection and then went to bed.

The greatest thing was he never even had to face the Doctor during it. 

But today would be different, the Master had decided. It was about time they had a chat. Despite the Doctor’s constant annoying, repetitive altruistic mantras, the Master found he was beginning to miss chatting to him a bit. 

As per usual he flashed the Doctor's psychic paper at the Judoon, making his way towards the other Time Lord’s cell in the lower decks. He knew that the Doctor had just been taken out of solitary, without even being given food and water. This, coupled with the two months of extensive interrogation, made the Master pretty sure he was in no fit state to even blink at him ... Let alone act on his death threat. Not that the Master was actually scared of him. 

Well ... Maybe a bit. 

But he wasn't about to admit that.

The judoon guarding the Doctor's cell parted to let him through, opening the door. The Master stepped inside, and smiled at the sight of the other Time Lord.

“Good morning, Doctor! How are you?” the Master greeted happily. The Doctor didn't move, lying on the floor looking like an utter bloody mess, sightlessly watching the far wall with his hands and feet bound.

The Master stepped forward. “I said good morning, Doctor!”

The only part of the Doctor that moved was his eyes, flickering around as if watching something the Master couldn't see. The Master frowned, kneeling down next to the other Time Lord, waving a hand in front of his eyes. The Doctor stared right through him.

“Doctor,” the Master said firmly. 

The Doctor continued not to react. The Master made to slap his cheek to try and get his attention, and then he realised how hot the Doctor was. He was running an exceptionally high fever. 

The Master got up, making to leave, when finally the Doctor spoke, a tiny voice, high-pitched and topped with pain ...

“He's stopped crying, now.”

The Master turned back. “What?”

“He's realised that no matter how much he cries no one will come.”

“Who has?”

“His mother hasn't even come. He thought she would, by now,” the Doctor continued, his eyes still flickering around. “He's all alone. He's so scared. He's cold. He hurts.”

“Doctor ...” 

“He hopes it will end soon.”

The Master stared at him. Was he hallucinating from the fever? Or had the constant interrogation and solitary confinement driven him to insanity?

“He knows it'll be over soon,” the Doctor continued. “He knows when it does he'll get free, and they can run through the fields of deep red grass.”

The Master knelt down again, suddenly recognising him from the long, distant past. “Theta?”

“But it's all gone,” the Doctor suddenly sobbed, shaking. “He's gone. He's dead.”

The Master stared at him, little Theta, so helpless and hurt. He was almost starting to feel guilty. “I'm not gone, Theta, it's me, it's Koschei, I'm right here.”

“Why did you leave him?!” the Doctor suddenly yelled, crying. “Koschei left him all alone, and he's scared, he's scared!”

“I'm not gone ...” the Master began weakly, but the Doctor cut right over the top of him, still gazing at the far wall as he began to whisper an ancient Gallifreyan funerary chant ...

“ N-cera'qe-ia'zachit-ia ici ce'chira. N-cera'qe-ia'lola-ia ye wi-alok'mira. N-cera'qe-ia'gricha-ia terna iviran'kyea. N-cera'qe-ia'veera-gea ici ce wi-aiiw'wrea. N-qe, ei'baniora, ei arit aroinab-n. N-miho ce'celerial-ia'kaiti joh kai cen hira.”

The Master stared at him. “Doctor, listen me ...” he began, kneeling down to the other Time Lord.

“Koschei left him!!” the Doctor screamed and suddenly his bound arms launched out and his hands gripped around the Master's neck, strangling him. The Master yelped in surprise as suddenly the door burst open and judoon flooded in. The Doctor was forcedly wrenched off of the Master and slammed against the wall held there as the Master got off of his feet, backing away with a hand on his neck.

“Time moves in circles, Master ...” the Doctor said, laughing. An old Gallifreyan proverb ... “He'll come for you and avenge Koschei ...”

The last thing the Master heard was the Doctor's insane giggle as he quickly left the cell, making his way hastily towards the end of the corridor, trying to re-establish his composure. Almost immediately he bumped into Leah, who was on the way to being escorted back to her cell. He stopped at the sight of her – the picture of her mother and father. It was very quickly he realised he was going to have to do something to re-establish his broken pride at the fact he had just fled from the Doctor in utter terror.

“You!” he said, stopping the judoon escorting her. “I'm just going to have a little talk with this child,” he said them, flashing the Doctor's psychic paper. He grabbed Leah's arm and pulled her away as the girl struggle to no avail.

They finally reached a secluded area, away from any unwanted ears. He sat the struggling Leah down, and offered his most genuine-looking smiling.

She looked up at him with her hands clasped together, before looking at the floor. “Mummy says I shouldn't talk to you.”

“I just saw your father,” the Master said evenly. “Would you like to know how he is?”

Leah shook her head quickly.

The Master frowned, slightly shocked. “Why not?”

“I know already,” she replied quietly. “They're doing what you did. I can feel him crying like he was before.” 

“Before?” the Master echoed.

“The last time you did this,” Leah clarified. 

“But that was before you were born,” the Master said, confused and confounded. “That’s impossible.”

Leah just shrugged. “Can I go now?” she asked.

“No,” the Master snapped.

Leah, to his fury, didn’t seem that scared. “Jhu’afa’eon’lei qe?”

The Master blinked, startled. “Eon’holahh’gallinao?”

“Cero,” Leah replied quietly. 

“Does your father teach you gallifreyan?”

She nodded. “He said you should never forget where you come from.”

The Master couldn't find any words to reply to that.

“... Do you come from Gallifrey like Daddy, Uncle Harry?”

The Master nodded. “We were friends for a very long time,” he said before he had a chance to stop himself.

“So why are you doing this?”

“Your father is a human-loving do-gooder,’ the Master spat maliciously.

The conversation sank into uncomfortable silence as Leah was suddenly staring at him, as if silently judging him. She didn't seem very impressed. A few intense seconds of analytical silence passed before she jumped to her feet and ran off back to the Judoon without another word, leaving him standing there to wonder what the hell had just happened.

* * *

Leah arrived back at the cell where her mum was waiting for her, engaging in a hug, as they always did.

“What happened today?” Rose asked her gently.

“They made me do a test,” Leah replied, looking annoyed. “I don't like tests!”

Rose laughed. “Was it about words?”

Leah nodded. “And sums!”

Rose laughed again, kissing her forehead. “But you love sums, you always do it with Daddy.”

“He was funner,” Leah replied, sniffing. 

Rose was about to smile, when she realised something about Leah's sentence ... “Leah, you used the past tense, there. Your Daddy isn't a 'was', he 'is', yeah?”

Leah didn't reply. Rose was beginning to get very worried. It had only been two months. She couldn't have started forgetting her Dad already ... It was too early ...

“... D'you remember what he looks like?” Rose asked the toddler quietly.

Leah just shrugged.

“What's his hair like?” Rose persisted. “What colour is it?”

“Brown,” Leah replied quietly. “And ... It's always messy.”

“Good,” Rose said, somewhat relieved. “What about his eyes?”

“Brown,” Leah said again. “And he's really tall. He can lift me up really high and laughs when I wanna get put down. And he knows everything, like sums and words and he knows how to play. And he does funny voices at bedtime stories. And when I'm sad he gives me a big hug.”

Rose smiled. “See? You do remember him.”

“I don't like remember him,” Leah said quietly, her eyes watering.

“Why not?”

“Cos it makes me sad that he not here,” she whispered, a couple of tears escaping.

Rose sighed. “I know. It makes me sad too, Leah,” she said, holding Leah again tightly. “But Daddy wouldn't want you to be sad, would he? Especially on your birthday!”

Leah pulled back and blinked. “My birthday?”

Rose laughed. “God, you're almost as bad as your Dad, forgettin' your birthday. You're three today! And I've got a present for you.”

Leah suddenly perked up, looking very happy indeed. 

“It's not much,” Rose warned, reaching behind her. “It's the best I could get.” She pulled out a colouring book and a pack of colouring pencils, giving them to the girl, whose eyes lit up as though she'd just been given the Holy Grail.

“Thank you,” Leah said happily, holding it carefully.

“When we get out, me and Daddy will give you a proper birthday,” Rose assured both Leah and herself. It had taken a month of arguments and persistence with the Proclamation to get that for her, but the look on Leah's face had been worth it all. “You've been really good and brave through all of this.”

“Thank you, Mummy,” Leah said again reaching up to hug her mum, who smiled and hugged her in return. “Can I go play with it now?”

Rose nodded. “But do it slowly and carefully, you don't wanna colour everything in one day, yeah?”

Leah nodded obediently, jumping off of her mother's lap and running to the table, clambering onto the chair.

“Keep in the lines!” Rose told her.

Leah nodded again, pulling out a green pencil and carefully starting on her work of art, her legs swinging back and forth.

Contentedly Rose laid back on the bed, struggling to get comfortable with her really now quite huge belly. Leah and the Doctor hadn't been the only members of the family to undergo a daily ritual with the Shadow Proclamation. She hadn't told Leah because she wouldn't understand, but the fact Rose had only been pregnant for almost four months, yet looked and felt like seven months meant the Proclamation were doing something to try and hurry up the baby. And if they kept going, it meant she really didn't have much time left to figure out an escape plan.

With the Doctor incapacitated, she had deemed that task to be her responsibility, but so far all her attempts to get out had failed. She could feel the Doctor through the bond becoming more and more unstable every day, and she had long since accepted the fact that he might be different when she found him again.

Not that that meant she was going to leave him behind. Whatever damage was done, they'd either fix it or learn to live with it. But not before she ripped the Shadow Proclamation to pieces. Police or not, they had no right to do that to the Doctor, Leah or the baby ... and they were going to pay.

Suddenly her thought trail was interrupted by a knock at the door, and she frowned. No one visited after Leah came back. She glanced at Leah, who was absorbed in her colouring. Rose navigated her way to her feet and moved over to the door, when suddenly the sliding window opened and a gloved hand stuck through...

A hand holding Bundy the teddy bear.

Rose gaped, taking her from the hand. “Thank you ... Who are you?”

There was no answer. The hand moved out again and the window quickly slid shut before she even had a chance to try and work it out.

“Bundy!” Leah's voice suddenly yelled, and the crashed of footsteps indicated the girl coming towards her. Rose turned to see the girl reaching up, smiling.

Rose gave Bundy to her with a smile, but as Leah moved back to the table her smiled turned into a frown. Was it the Doctor? Was it Jack? Had Jack come to get them out?

Suddenly she didn't feel so helpless anymore. It made sense. Jack had come, and he was just letting them know he was around while he executed the plan. All they had to do was wait.

She resumed her position on the bed, feeling a lot, lot happier.

* * *

“Assessment of child hybrid complete,” one of the head Judoon gruffed, reading from his info watch to the same panel of Proclamation women that had ordered the Doctor's interrogation.

“And?” the woman in the middle asked, stepping forward.

“Biological and physiological tests show hybrid has more similarity to gallifreyan father than human mother. Bone density above average. Immune system very efficient. Huge amounts of stamina, strength, speed and agility for age found, potential for great enhancement over time. Psychological tests show huge intelligence for its age and ability to judge based on morality and intellect. Parapsychology currently minimal. Evidence of development in regions of brain show potential for future.”

“I see,” the woman respond thoughtfully. “What do you recommend?”

“To avoid future threat, recommend immediate execution.”

The woman paused to consider this, but didn't respond. “And what of the Time Lord?”

“The gallifreyan male upgraded to level six interrogation two weeks ago. Continues to remain silent. Mental state also indicates a massive instability, possible insanity.”

The woman thought again for a moment, but again didn't respond. “And the foetus?”

“Unable to confirm exact status. Approximation of delivery one to two months.”

“I see,” the woman said, turning to her associates behind her and starting up a small discussion in low voices. It carried on for a few minutes before she finally turned back to the Judoon.

“The tested hybrid's mind has already been poisoned with ideals, and the potential it has to grow into is disturbing. We order immediate execution. The second hybrid will be born and raised in controlled conditions, and upon birth the human woman's mind will be wiped and she will be delivered back to Earth. And as for the Time Lord, the information he has is useless, now. But execution would be an act of genocide for the pure gallifreyan race. Therefore, he is to serve out his sentence in Volag-noc ...”

“That won't be necessary,” a voice suddenly spoke from the darkness. The crowd in the room turned, and the Master stepped forward into the light, smiling broadly.

“And who are you?” the woman wondered vaguely.

“I'm a Time Lord,” the Master replied, smiling as he held a handheld scanner from the TARDIS infirmary over his chest, showing his two hearts pumping away to the entire room. “Which means, his death would not be genocide. You're free to kill him.”

The woman stared at him for a moment, gazing at his two hearts. The undeniable mark of a Gallifreyan. She didn't really need anymore proof as she smiled and looked back at the Judoon. “Schedule the Time Lord and his daughter's execution for tomorrow morning.”

“Hold on,” the Master said, stepping forward again. “Make the hybrid's after the Doctor's. I don't want to miss a minute, and I don't want to miss my lunch, either.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation:
> 
> All those thunders in the sun  
> All those moments of painful fun  
> All those poems with empty verse  
> All those flights in a tiny universe  
> That, I remember, and I will never forget  
> How the stars shined when we first met
> 
> Jhu’afa’eon’lei qe - Why are you doing this? | Eon’holahh’gallinao? - You speak gallifreyan | Cero – Some


	25. Execution Day Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Shadow Proclamation begin the executions of the Doctor and his daughter.

It seemed like just another day to Rose Tyler. The routine was usual, waking up to their bland breakfast of white nougat-like chews and generally just wasting time until the Judoon came to take Leah. As per usual Rose kissed her good bye, and settled down to continue working out how to escape. Not that she was getting anywhere. This was more the Doctor’s department.

How long would it be until Jack commenced his plan? Well, at least he was here, now. As long as he did it soon then nothing else mattered. Time was ticking away, the baby due soon, Leah's testing was probably about to finish and the Doctor felt awful – it seemed like he was getting further and further away in a mental sense. 

They had to get him out quickly before he completely snapped. Maybe he already had. And again it all came down to one thing ... She had caused this. She had been to one to condemn him to torture. Perhaps she had also condemned him to insanity. She would gladly deal with the consequences of her actions, so long as her husband was alive at the end of it all.

She closed her eyes, and concentrated. She did this every day whenever she could. She threw love at him through the bond. She had no idea whether he could feel it, but if it helped him even a little tiny bit, then it was worth it.

“ _ I love you, I love you,”  _ she repeated over and over again in her head. “ _ I love you, I love you.” _

* * *

The Doctor was alone in his cell, though he didn't think so. There were voices whispering from the walls, screaming whispers directed at him, but he couldn't decipher any words. There were dark shapes rising, falling and flying in front of his eyes, assuming the faces of people he had known, dead friends, dead family, dead companions ... taunting him for his situation.

Every time he tried to think – reason that they weren't real – the thought just slipped away like trying to hold water in his fingers. He was so hot. He hurt so much. He felt like screaming but he no longer had the energy to. He was always screaming, now. When he couldn't answer their questions, he screamed. He didn't understand what they were asking him and he didn't have an answer to give. Nothing he said seemed to please them. It just made them more angry. He wished he knew what he was supposed to say so he could make them stop.

Then he heard that voice again. It came through every now and again – a woman's voice. Telling him she loved him. His body responded with a need to follow the voice, because he got the undeniable feeing that there would be something really good waiting for him when he got to the source. But he assumed it to be another part of his destroyed mindscape.

But who could love him?

He was a nobody. He was only a thing that was only to be hurt and humiliated. The voices in his head told him that much. Except her. Her voice made him feel like he was someone; made him think that there was something really important he'd forgotten. But every time he tried to think about it, it slipped away.

Time had become irrelevant. It was just one kaleidoscope of pain to the next. So he laid there absorbed in his own world, waiting for the next burst of pain.

Something scaldingly cold suddenly pressed against his upper arm and he flinched, waiting for the inevitable pain that would come with it. Whenever he got touched now, he instinctively knew pain would follow. But after a moment, he realise that they weren't trying to hurt him. Something gently held him down, a voice he couldn't place telling him to relax. He tried to see who it was but all he could decipher were the dark shapes flying around in front of his eyes – so he quickly closed them again, scared of the demons that they formed ...

Then he felt something fire into his arm, sounding like compressed air. The cold object pulled away and an arm gently and slowly helped him sit up, something pressing against his lips ...

This was unfamiliar. He recalled the feeling as water. It felt like heaven in his mouth, and it took him a moment to remember how to swallow. When he did it soothed the sides of his raw throat.

The water suddenly stopped. The Doctor whined and tried to reach out for more, but the voice told him to stay still as something else was given to him... something to chew. It was food. He chewed and swallowed, the food such a shock he almost threw it back up again. He was given a little more water before the arms set him down again, and they left the room.

He wasn’t sure how long he laid there, but he realised in a bolt of rare clarity that he was starting to get some of his thoughts back. Now when he reached out and tried to think, he could actually hold onto his thoughts for a little while before they slipped away. His fever was receding, his mind beginning to clear. But before he could remember exactly who he was and what he was doing here, there came the sound of a door opening. Had the person come back?

Strong hands grabbed him – he knew them well. Pain usually followed this. What were they? Jud ... Judoon. They were Judoon. He opened his eyes, and for the first time in what felt like years, he could see his surroundings of a dank dark cell, and specifically, two Judoon carrying him out the door.

“Wait...” the Doctor began weakly, but he was ignored, carried between the two rhinos down the corridor. Pain was coming, and it was coming fast ...

But this didn't feel the same. They were going in a different direction ... Weren't they? It was too confusing for the moment.

He was beginning to recall things, now. Faces and places, and suddenly he realised in another bolt of clarity just what had happened. His wife was pregnant. Whoever had been in the cell had given him the suppressing drug for the symptoms. The persistent hallucinogenic fever was starting to leave him, and he was starting to see and think more clearly ... But why now? Why today?

“Where’re goin’?” he suddenly demanded to know in a slur, but again, he was ignored. He was thrown onto a stretcher, fixed to it with straps and rolled down the corridor. He looked around frantically at the lights flashing overhead, and the signs on the corridor for any clue as to their destination.

Then he realised they'd reached the lift. He was wheeled in and a button was pressed. With a technical whoosh and polite beep, they began to move down. Down. They were going down. If he could choose any direction to go in, it would not be down. Down was bad. Very bad. Many suitcases full of bad.

He had to get out of here.

He started struggling against the ropes, pain shooting through what felt like every cell in his body. But the efforts were useless against the binds. Everything was a lot clearer now, and he could see the Judoon looking at him, as if daring him to try something. He offered his most innocent smile and laid back against the stretcher, thoughts buzzing through his head.

How long had he been apart from Rose and Leah? For all he knew, it could've been anything from a week to a year. Were they okay? They felt okay. They were still there, feeling normal with no extreme emotions.

The lift doors opened, and he was wheeled a little further. More metal doors, didn't really look much different to the rest of the Proclamation. But there was a feeling of something in the air that he didn't really like.

Finally they reached a room at the end of the corridor. He was pushed in. There was a screen at the side with seats behind it, and the other side had shackles attached to the floor. Then he knew. This was a room for execution  ...

“Are you going to execute me?!” the Doctor said in a much clearer voice, utterly shocked.

The Judoon didn't reply, simply taking him off of the stretcher and carrying him over to the chains, undoing the ropes around his wrists and ankles and instead fixing him to the shackles, forcing him to stand up on his injured legs, facing the wall ...

“Hey!” the Doctor yelled, fully alarmed now, but no one was listening to him. He forced himself to calm down, thinking rationally about this. How were they going to execute him? He could probably survive a few methods, or regenerate ...

A few more people filled into the room. He checked over his shoulder ... A few more Judoon, three women in black dresses, and ... the Master ...

Suddenly a surge of anger rose up in him and he tried desperately to get to the other Time Lord, to preferably throttle him with his own intestinal tract. But with the shackles around his wrists and the pain coursing through his body he quickly realised he wasn't going anywhere. He caught the Master’s gaze, and realised he was smiling at him.

“You!” the Doctor grated instead... If he couldn't kill him with his hands he'd damn well try with words. “You murdered Koschei and now you've murdered Theta...!”

He trailed off as he realise the people were in their places. The executioners were ready – all equipped with a precision Judoon-enhanced snipe laser guns. 

He was going to be turned to ash.

He was a completely dead man.

* * *

Rose was very confused. About ten minutes ago the Doctor had started becoming clearer, the picture of him in his mind becoming sharper, more focused. It had taken her a little while to realise that meant he was mentally healing, he was coming back from whatever had happened to him ...

But then she felt him start to panic. And it was panic on a whole new scale. She had never felt him like it before ... What the hell was making him feel like that?

Suddenly she felt a lot of love flying towards her. He was telling her that he loved her. Why now? He was professing his love for her, and panicking very badly at the same time ...

“ _ Please be aware. Execution of the Gallifreyan male to commence, with the hybrid child's execution to commence one hour from now. Please be aware,”  _ and intercom buzzed.

Rose's jaw dropped.

“No!” she screamed, jumping to her feet running over to the door that had held her for two months as if somehow it was going to slide back now... “Doctor! Leah! No! No, no, no!”

She slammed her fist on the door repeatedly as tears exploded from her eyes, utter anger and grief bursting up from inside of her. She screamed to the sky, swearing at the Proclamation, begging, crying ... But no one was listening.

Finally she sank down, her legs completely collapsing from beneath her as she sat on the cell floor, sobbing helplessly.

They were going to kill her husband and her daughter, and there was nothing she could do about it.

* * *

The Doctor felt like crying, but he wouldn't let the judoon or the Master see him breaking down in his final moments. He was going to die selflessly. He took a breath, tensing himself ...

There was a sudden scream of pain. The Doctor blinked. Had it been his own? He couldn't feel anything. Was he already dead?

Then there were more screams, but he kept his eyes closed ...

“Come on!” a voice yelled behind him and seconds later there was the familiar buzzing of the sonic screwdriver, and his hands were released. He turned, utterly confused before he found the Master pointing the sonic screwdriver at the chains to release him. The entire crowd of spectators were lying immobile on the floor.

“Master?” the Doctor whispered.

“Koschei,” the other Time Lord corrected. “I think I still owe you a favour, Theta.” 

Koschei tossed him back the sonic. Theta caught it in his now free hands, pain shooting through his arms. Suddenly the alarms exploded into life, the entire place flashing with red lights.

“Come on!” Koschei yelled, a grin spreading onto his face as he beckoned frantically. “Slow poke!”

Theta couldn't help but laugh. He pocketed the sonic and made forward to Koschei – but the pain in his legs suddenly shot through and he cried out in pain, collapsing to the floor with a hard smack. He struggled to get up, but his entire body felt like it was on fire. He couldn't move.

Seconds later there was someone by his side, slinging his arm around their shoulder. It was Koschei, hauling him up. “Let's go.” Koschei armed himself with the executioner's gun, readjusting his grip on Theta before bursting through the door to the corridor. He half-guided, half-dragged the injured Theta down the corridor until they reached some stairs. Making a snap decision Koschei lowered Theta to the floor, propping him carefully up against the wall before handing him the gun he held.

“Protect yourself,” Koschei said quickly, wrapping Theta's fingers tightly around the gun handle. “I'll get Rose and Leah,” he said, getting to his feet. Suddenly he felt a hand grab his arm and he turned back to find Theta looking up at him with wide brown eyes.

“Be careful,” he said.

Koschei nodded, and then disappeared down the steps.

* * *

The second the Master burst into the cell Rose was already moving forward to punch him in the face, and hopefully worse if she had her way. But his words came as something of a surprise.

“I've got the Doctor,” he said, quickly holding up his arms. “We're getting out. You coming?”

Rose stared at him for a moment. “You're lying ...”

“Rose,” the Master said gently. “I know you probably don't trust me but honestly, he is at the top of the stairs. I promise you. Please come with me, we don't have much time.”

Rose swallowed, utterly paralysed with the indecision. But the Master had suddenly lost interest in her, looking around the cell in confusion.

“Where's Leah?” he asked anxiously.

“They took her earlier ...” Rose croaked.

The Master's eyes widened. “They were supposed to wait. Let's go and get her. Coming?”

Suddenly she realised she didn't have a choice. She quickly nodded and he waved a Judoon device over her metal wristband, which pinged open. She followed him as he ran out the door, leading her past two unconscious guards and up a long flight of stairs.

They reached the top, where Rose finally saw the Doctor. He suddenly spun around, pointing the gun at them in trembling hands. The Master quickly held up his hands and the Doctor groaned and lowered the gun, breathing hard.

“Doctor ... Oh God,” Rose whispered, staring at the bloody mess that was her husband.

“Focus, Rose,” the Master said quickly, wrapping his arm around the Doctor. “Gimme a hand.”

She nodded quickly and move to support the Doctor on the other side, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek as together she and the Master hauled him up. The Doctor cried out in agony, shivering in their grip as they began to drag him down the corridor.

“Where's Leah?” he gasped.

“Just gonna get her,” the Master assured him. 

Suddenly there was the crackle of the intercom, and one of the Proclamation woman spoke in frantic tones, “ _ escaped prisoners! Escaped prisoners! Execute the hybrid immediately!” _

“ _ No!”  _ another voice yelled over the intercom. “ _ Let go!” _

“Leah!?” the Doctor gasped.

“Move faster!” the Master urged as they continued down the corridor. The Doctor was clearly on the verge of crying from the pain.

“ _ Six!”  _ Leah's voice yelled again. “ _ Uncle Koschei, Daddy, Mummy, in room six!” _

“ _ Hold her still!” _

“ _ Let go!”  _ she wailed.

“ _ Kill it before he gets here!”  _ the woman squeaked.

There was a shot over the intercom.

“ _ No! Daddy!!!”  _ Leah screamed, then another shot.

They finally reached the execution rooms. The three searched the rooms down the corridor until they reached room number six, but the door was locked.

“Kill it!” the woman shrieked again as the Doctor pulled out his sonic in bloody, shaking hands, and ran it around the doorframe. The door rolled back to reveal a executioner trying to hold Leah in place with a gun to her head, the three-year-old struggling for all it was worth.

The Doctor stepped forward instantly, raising his own gun to the executioner. Words weren't even needed. The executioner continued to restrain the toddler, who was screaming and trying to fight him off – not that her strength was in anyway comparable to his. The Doctor’s jaw visibly tightened at the screams of his only daughter begging for her parents, his grip reaffirming itself on the gun.

The Doctor and the executioner stared at each other; their eyes boring into each other's with pure malice and rage.

Seconds passed.

The executioner opened his mouth to say something.

_ BANG. _

The executioner collapsed to the floor. But, Rose realised, the Doctor hadn’t fired. It was the Master, holding a gun in his hand with smoke coming out of the end.

The Master looked at the Doctor as Leah rushed to her mother. “I couldn't let you do that, Theta.”

They stared at each other for a moment, unspoken words buzzing between them ...

_ BANG. _

The Master’s face dropped as suddenly he grunted breathily in pain, collapsing face first onto the floor with blood seeping out from and obvious bullet hole in his back. 

“They're in here!” a voice yelled and the Doctor, Rose and the daughter looked up at the doorway, finding the guards pouring in like water breaking a bank, leaving them completely trapped ...


	26. Execution Day Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The escape attempt continues.

Theta knew it was over. They were completely surrounded at gunpoint, Koschei was lying bleeding on the floor and Leah was crying her eyes out as she clung desperately onto her mum and Bundy the bear in equal measure. 

Theta dropped the gun he was holding onto the floor, raising his head to look at them.

Time to do what he did best.

“Well,” he began, fighting the pain shooting right through him. “Looks like you caught us good and proper. That was a  _ fun  _ escape attempt. We should do this again sometime. But maybe you should consider ...”

Then he noticed Leah walking past him, holding Bundy and sucking her thumb. He moved to stop her but his quick movement made the Judoon focus their guns on him. He froze on the spot, his eyes wide, glancing between the advancing Leah and the armed Judoon...

“Leah,” he whispered. “Come back.”

She ignored him as she reached the Judoon, looking up at them and smiling through teary eyes.

“This is a present from Uncle Koschei,” she said, holding out Bundy to the front Judoon, who took it, confused. Leah calmly turned back and walked to her father, hiding behind his leg.

Then Bundy exploded.

A plume of stuffing burst out in all directions with the explosive stun device concealed inside the previously harmless teddy bear. The Judoon collectively shrieked, their guns dropping harmlessly to the floor as they fell to their knees ...

It took Theta a moment to realise what had happened, but then he burst into action. “Let's go!” he yelled, moving to take Koschei. “You get Leah!” he shouted at Rose as he dragged Koschei through the crowd of stunned Judoon and out of the door. Rose took Leah's hand and led her as quickly as she could through the crowd – who were beginning to right themselves.

They made it out of the room, struggling down the corridor to the lift. Once inside, Rose stabbed a random button as the Judoon spilled out of the room behind them; trigger happy. The doors slammed closed, and the lift began to ascend.

“What floor?” Rose asked breathlessly.

“Tardis,” Theta gasped, doubled over and clutching at his side as he tried desperately not to pass out. “Don't know...”

“Thete,” a voice suddenly croaked from below, and to the other Time Lord's utter surprise, Koschei had opened his eyes just a crack. “Floor 479. Storage.”

Rose obediently tapped in for floor 479, just as Theta lost the remaining strength in his already battered legs and fell to his knees beside Koschei.

“Koschei,” he whispered, cupping his friend's fast paling face. “Koschei, please, please don't regenerate. Just hold on. I'll save you, okay? I'll save you, Koschei.”

Koschei managed a pained grin. “Fat chance, Thete, you useless Plungboll,” he gasped.

Theta smiled in return, but he felt like crying. “Exploding bear. Thanks.”

“Thank your daughter. She managed to read my cruddy writing,” Koschei gasped. “I can't stay awake, Thete. Do me proud.” Then Koschei promptly closed his eyes, passing out.

For a brief moment, silence reigned. The Doctor looked at Leah, who was standing there with her eyes still wet from tears. He beckoned her into a tight hug, and then gestured for Rose to join in.

“I thought I'd never see you again,” he whispered to them both. “How long was it?”

“Two months,” Rose replied, kissing him.

“I missed you,” Leah said quietly.

The Doctor kissed her forehead. “I missed you too. I'm so proud of you, you beautiful thing,” he whispered. “I'm sorry I missed your birthday and I'm sorry about Bundy. I'll make it up to you, I promise.”

She gave a watery smile back, hugging him as he looked at Rose, and frowned.

“Wait, you're not supposed to be that big,” he realised, looking at her belly.

She fobbed it off. “Later. God, I missed you so much,” she whispered, kissing him softly and stroking the side of his furry face. He was hugely pale, his face gaunt with old, dry blood seemingly everywhere. He was even bonier than before, his clothes ripped and blooded, cuts and bruises all over his skin. She could feel parts of her tingling – he'd broken a few things. It was a miracle he was still conscious, let alone leading an escape. “You look like hell.”

“Feel like it, too,” the Doctor replied quietly.

“Me and Leah'll look after you when we get back, right Leah?” she said to the girl, smiling as best she could. Leah nodded wordlessly, and kept holding onto her dad.

“Is he okay?” the Doctor asked with a frown, looking at Rose's belly.

She nodded. “I think he's trying to kick his way out,” she said, laughing. He reached forward and pressed a hand to the bump, looking up at her with a pained smile.

Then the lift started slowing down. Rose noticed this, breaking apart from him and getting up, before helping him to his feet. Leah remained by his side, pressing her hands to his leg in an attempt to support him as he clutched his side. 

The doors slid open to reveal a gathering of Judoon, all with their guns out, and a woman in a black dress.

“... Sorry, wrong floor,” the Doctor said quickly, making to the panel of buttons.

“Come out of the lift,” the woman commanded, slightly ominously. They had no choice but to obey.

“We'll be leaving now,” the Doctor said sharply.

“We cannot let you go,” the woman replied.

“Why not?” the Doctor demanded to know. 

“Your deaths have already been decided.”

“So what, I’m just supposed to accept that?”

“You live by our law,” the woman said calmly. “It is for the good of the universe.”

“The good of the universe?” the Doctor repeated disbelievingly. “What good comes of murdering a child?”

“This is not murder.”

“You are ending a life without any apparent legal reason; that’s murder.”

“We have our reasons.”

“Then what  _ are  _ they!?” the Doctor yelled. “And since when have the Shadow Proclamation amounted to murder and torture!?”

“The details cannot be shared with the public.”

“Even to the people you’re going to execute!?” the Doctor said, astounded and angry. “Your Proclamation has become a dangerous, tyrannical group, that goes against  _ everything  _ you were created to do. You were advocates for peace in the universe, and I was happy to swear by you, but now, I’m done. Your whole Proclamation is a joke. You are going to leave us in peace, and I swear if I ever see you again, I will  _ destroy you.  _ I don't need your articles, and I don't need  _ you!”  _

For the first time, the woman looked a little uncomfortable at the Doctor’s livid expression. He simply took the Master’s body, and made towards the TARDIS. Immediately all of the judoon’s gun were on him. He stopped, considering them, before he stepped forward to the woman and leant in, his nose inches from hers. “Go on then,” he spat his own blood in her face. “ _ Try it!” _

She didn't move. Didn't even dare to breath. Several seconds passed, the Doctor’s expression unchanging.

“I don't know why you've targeted me and my family like this,” he said in a low, threatening voice. “But if you threaten me or  _ any _ of my friends or family  _ ever _ again then I won't  _ rest _ until every  _ tiny  _ little reference to the Shadow Proclamation is  _ wiped _ out of the history  _ and  _ the future of the Universe. Got it?” 

She didn't move a muscle. The Doctor was very happy to see the fear in her eyes. “Come on,” he said to Rose and Leah, taking hold of the Master again. “Get out of our way,” he ordered the Proclamation.

The judoon looked at the woman, waiting for an order. There was a momentary pause, before her nostrils flared, and she stepped aside to let them pass.

* * *

Five days had passed on Earth since the Doctor and Jack had left to take Leah to the Master. In that time the Earth had been buzzing with the story of the alien fugitive; various government officials and scientists talking about the possibility of invasion and Planet Earth's future with aliens – as if they actually knew what was going on.

Martha had been interested in it for a while, but now it was just background noise. She and Torchwood were currently in overdrive of trying to cover up any mention or indeed memory of anyone who had encountered the Doctor – even though they had no idea if he was still alive.

After the Doctor, Jack and Leah had left for Daufor five days ago, the commotion had started. To begin with the Judoon had crashed straight through the Torchwood door in search of the Doctor, but had eventually left with nothing. Then Torchwood had unblinkingly watched the Doctor on TV seemingly get gunned down in a forest in Brecon Beacons, but the fact the police had not found the body gave them some hope. 

Not long after that, the Master had arrived in Torchwood, complete with Jack's phone, gun and TARDIS key. He'd threatened them, then taken the TARDIS with no hint as to his destination. She, Mickey, Gwen and Ianto very quickly realised that meant that Jack was still in Daufor, and they drove straight to the Master's house where they found a very annoyed Jack locked in the basement, and utterly no evidence of the Doctor or Leah. Jack had explained that he was almost certain the Doctor had been shot and that he might have regenerated, and that Leah had been taken by the Shadow Proclamation.

But there was really nothing they could do. Martha had tried phoning the Doctor, but she wasn’t getting through. So instead Torchwood worked on trying to cover his tracks, to protect him from angry alien-hating mobs if ...  _ when,  _ he returned.

Not to mention the rift activity had gone haywire since the Doctor had refuelled. All manners of alien and Earth creatures and objects were dropping around Cardiff – even a cow had dropped from the sky next to the entrance of a restaurant, and consequently hit three very shocked people. Torchwood had had beef sandwiches for lunch that day. Nothing to do with the cow.

Martha was in the Torchwood autopsy room checking equipment when she heard it. There was absolutely no mistaking it. It was the churning of the TARDIS. She almost shrieked in delight, pulling off her gloves and running up the stairs into the main Hub where the familiar blue box was fading into existence.

Jack suddenly joined her, pulling out his gun and aiming it straight at the TARDIS door. 

Martha looked at him with wide eyes. “Jack! What are you doing?!”

“That could be the Master!” Jack pointed out in an urgent hiss as Gwen and Mickey joined him, pulling out their own guns. But when the door finally opened, everyone froze.

The Doctor appeared, plainly very badly injured. His hair was long and matted, a straggly beard growing on his chin with his clothes ripped and torn, dried blood and new blood everywhere. He was bruised, cut and battered, one of his eyes swollen, his body even thinner than usual coupled with a pale, gaunt face. He was dragging a body behind him, which was leaving a trail of blood all over the floor – the Master.

The group stared as Martha's hand clamped to her mouth in utter horror at the sight of him. “You ...”

“Never mind me!” the Doctor gasped, managing to drag the Master a little further before he had to let go, falling back onto the floor. “Save him!”

“What happened?!” she asked in an alarmed yelp as she ran to the Master to examine the damage, Mickey already running off to get a stretcher.

“Shot in the back,” he wheezed, barely able to stay up straight. “Please, please, Martha ... You have to save him, save Koschei...”

He passed out.


	27. Repercussions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor comes to terms with the loss of a friend.

The Master and the Doctor were currently in separate rooms of the recently installed Torchwood medical area, having been comatose since the moment they had arrived six hours ago. They had both stopped breathing, slipping into – what Martha had suspected to be – healing comas. Rose had only agreed to be torn from the Doctor's side after an hour to have some food, and consequently explain what had gone on.

So she'd told the entire ordeal from start to finish, and thankfully Leah had stayed with her father so Rose could tell it truly for what it had been. Several times during it she had to stop to try and stifle her tears, but every time she couldn't hold them in. But they were all safe now ... weren't they? After the yelling the Doctor had given them, would the Shadow Proclamation come back?

Martha had insisted on scanning both her and Leah to check for any damage, and while Leah was perfectly healthy, Rose's plight became apparent. Somehow the Proclamation had speeded up her pregnancy, and she had advanced from seven weeks gestation to twenty-nine weeks in only two months. The baby boy seemed fine, but as Martha had explained to Rose, advancing the pregnancy may have done untold damage to him, and there was no telling the full extent of any damage done until he was born.

* * *

_ The Doctor was sitting by a very bright River Lethe, gazing out at its watery depths. It was now a place that only existed in his memories – just another place burnt with his home planet. He recalled how he and Koschei used to play here, skipping lessons to run through the fields, making up games, just enjoying life. _

_ No, he'd never ask for it back in exchange for what he had now, but that wasn't to say he didn't miss that time of his life. It was a time when life was simple; a time when everything was about fun. There hadn't been the fate of a world on his shoulders every week, he hadn't known death, sorrow and rage on a daily basis, a time when the word 'Dalek' was a sound he made whilst clearing his nose. _

_ Oh, if only little Theta had known what he would have to endure in his life. Every little nuance of life as a wanderer, a renegade, a warrior, an assassin, a murderer. If he had known, maybe when he had faced the Untempered Schism, he might have run away a little further. _

“ _ Hello, Theta,” a voice cut through his thoughts, and he looked up to find Koschei standing there, looking as he had all those years ago. _

“ _ Koschei?” the Doctor asked, confused. “Am I dead?” _

“ _ No,” Koschei said, taking a seat next to him beside the river. “You're just in a healing coma.” _

_ The Doctor mused on what that meant. “Retreating to a nice, safe, painless place in my mind,” he summarised. _

“ _ Glad to be a part of that,” Koschei replied, grinning. “But you know... I don't exist anymore.” _

“ _ I know,” the Doctor replied sadly, looking at the ground. “You aren't who the Master is now. Koschei never came back, it was just the façade of a guilty man.” _

_ Koschei nodded. “I'm sorry. I'm dead, you know that, Thete.” _

_ “I miss you, Koschei.” _

_ Koschei rested a hand on his shoulder. “I know.” _

_ For a moment they just sat together, the both of them looking out over the bumbling river. After a few seconds Koschei got to his feet. “You're about to wake up, my cue to leave.” _

“ _ Will I ever see you again?” the Doctor asked. _

_ Koschei shook his head. “No. I'm sorry. Goodbye, Thete. Look after your family.” _

_ The Doctor nodded. “I will. Goodbye, Koschei.” _

“ _ Bye,” Koschei said, waving a farewell hand over his shoulder before he walked off, and the Doctor reluctantly left his safe place to begin his return to the real world. _

* * *

The Master had been awake for three hours now, and all evidence of Koschei seemed to have vanished, while the Doctor showed no signs of stirring. As the Master half-walked, half-dragged himself into the Doctor's room at 6pm, the tortured Time Lord was still comatose.

He looked awful – injured, weak and ill. But to the Master, he looked more ... defenceless.

He gazed down at the battered Doctor, staring at the tubes going into him, connecting to several machines around him. Then he saw the plug in the wall, powering the machines. He considered it for a moment, reaching forward to rest his hand on it, making ready to pull, staring at the Doctor ...

But the other Time Lord didn't even twitch.

The Master frowned. “This is too easy. You're no fun like this,” he muttered. “You'd better live.”

He took his hand off of the plug.

“What are you doing?” a voice suddenly demanded from the doorway. 

The Master looked up. “Ah, girly and blonde-girly,” he greeted. 

“Get away from him,” Rose spat as she as Martha strode forward to stand next to the Doctor, Rose carrying some food and drink.

“Oh, so I save his life, your life and save little Doctor spawn one and two's lives and that's still not enough to get in your good books. I'm so sad. Boo-hoo,” he said insincerely.

“He saved your life too,” Martha pointed out, checking the Doctor was still breathing well.

“Regrettably,” the Master added. 

Rose stroked back the Doctor's hair, kissing him lightly on the lips as she took his hand and held on tightly. She looked up at the Master, her face instantly turning from compassion to hate in the drop of a hat. “You're pathetic,” she spat. “He's worth a million times what you are. I don't care what he says, because he'd be so against me sayin' that. You don't even deserve to know him. You might have saved our lives but that wasn't out of compassion, you did it because you wanted to make him like you so next time you can bring him straight back down again. I can't believe you'd do this to him after what he went through for you in the Time Academy.”

The Master looked slightly uncomfortable. “You know?”

“Of course I know,” Rose said rudely. “He's told me everythin', because he loves me and I love him, and he trusts me. Not that you'd have a clue what that means.”

“And that is what makes him weak.”

“No, it makes him stronger. He can tell me anythin', he knows that, and takin' that weight off of his mind has made him happier and as far away as possible from being  _ you,  _ because you're weak and pathetic. I'll stand you being here for as long as he's happy with it, because I trust his judgement, but I still don't like you and I never will. Just look at what you've done to him,” she said, gesturing to the Doctor's broken body. “But you know what? You might've broken his body but he's still fine inside. You've failed.”

The Master didn't even have the opportunity to reply to this as the Doctor suddenly groaned, blinking open his eyes, staring up at Rose.

“Rose?” he croaked.

“Oh, Our Lord awakens,” the Master said insincerely with an uncaring wave of his hand, shuffling out the door.

Rose ignored him. “How are you feeling? Okay?”

“Yeah,” he murmured. “London Marathon's tomorrow, isn't it? Might enter that.”

Rose smiled and kissed him, squeezing his hand. It warmed her heart and negated most of her worries to see him looking a little better. Almost like things seemed completely normal. “I got you some food and drink for the energy deficit thing.”

“Aww, thanks,” he said, grinning. The sight of it made Martha and Rose both smile as the latter helped him eat and drink.

“Do you need more painkillers?” Martha asked.

“No, comfortably numb, thank you,” he replied quietly. “How bad am I?”

Martha steeled herself for her reply, trying to make it more clinical than emotional. “I've stitched up the worst of your cuts, put cooling gel on your burns and you're on drips for malnutrition and dehydration. I managed to find some blood bags of yours in the Tardis so you're on that too. I used the osteo-regenerator on you for your broken bones so no getting out of this bed for 48 hours and no saving the universe for at least two weeks.”

“Yes, Dr. Jones,” the Doctor replied tiredly.

“And as a doctor ... I have to ask,” she began, slightly nervous. “Do you need any sort of... counselling?”

To her utter surprise, he burst out laughing. “900 years of sticking my nose into other people's lives, it's not like this hasn't happened to me before. I'm fine. I don't even remember half of it anyway.”

She nodded, spreading a supportive smile.

“How's Leah?” he asked.

“I scanned her earlier for any physical damage, she's fine,” Martha told him.

“Where is she?” the Doctor asked, noticing she wasn't in the room.

“She got a stomach ache earlier, so I gave her a hot water bottle, chicken soup and put her to bed. She made me sit with her until she fell asleep,” Rose said, laughing. “She'll be mad if she wakes up and I'm not there.”

“Good,” he murmured with a smile. “And how's the Master?”

“All right,” Rose muttered. 

The Doctor noted her tone. “He's awake, then.”

Martha jumped in before Rose could say another word on the subject. “He's healing fast, moving around at least. I think he's too proud to take the painkillers I offer him, though.”

“Yeah, sounds like him,” the Doctor croaked as he finished the food and drink. “I really need to pee.”

“I'll leave that to your partner,” Martha said, smiling as she left. Rose fetched a hand-held urinal from the nearby drawers, setting to work. “I need a haircut,” he noted, reaching up to grasp his hair, pulling it in front of his eyes.

“And a shave,” Rose added. “Do you want me to do a makeover tomorrow?”

“Why does that sound like you want to crimp my hair and curl my eyelashes?” he wondered.

Rose grinned. “Offer's there.”

“I'll take it,” he replied, smiling as she slipped the urinal under the covers. His eyes flickered to her pregnant belly, and instinctively reached out to press a hand against it. She looked at him as he looked at her questioningly.

She took a breath. “Martha scanned me earlier. The Shadow Proclamation did something ... I've gone from seven weeks to twenty-nine weeks in two months.”

The Doctor bit his lip, running his hand through his hair. 

Rose swallowed, looking at his expression. “... Don't make that face.”

The Doctor blinked, snapping out of it. “What face?”

“The well-we-could-be-dead-by-5-o'clock-if-I-don't-figure-this-out face.”

He snorted with laughter. “Sorry.”

There was a paused as she retrieved the urinal, cleaning up before moving back to the bed to sit beside him. “Do ... Do you think he's okay?”

The Doctor paused, thinking for a moment. “Can't really tell until he's born. He'll probably be fine.”

She gazed at him. He was serious. 

“Besides,” he continued, “whatever damage has been done, we can handle it.”

She nodded, and leant forward to kiss him as she clasped his hand in hers for a moment, just feeling it there. The shape, the feel, the warmth. “... I thought I'd never see or talk to you again.”

“So did I.”

“But what you said to Martha ...” She paused for a moment. “... Are you  _ really _ okay?”

“No,” he replied quietly.

She kissed him again, hugging his head and throwing love through the bond. “When you feel a bit better, we can talk about everythin' that happened.”

“I'd like that.”

She kissed him again. “You should get some sleep.”

He yawned. “Yeah. And you need to go back to Leah before she wakes up.”

She smiled, squeezing his hand. “Good night.”

“Nighty night,” he replied tiredly, closing his eyes. For a moment Rose remained where she was, just watching him. Then she rose from her chair, and left.


	28. Sit! Sit!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Doctor recovers, Torchwood receives a visit from the Shadow Proclamation.

Jack whistled a happy tune as he made his way to the Doctor's room in Torchwood the next morning, a bounce in his step. He bounded up the stairs and reached the door, about to go in when he heard Rose and the Doctor's voices from within ...

“Rose, stop doing that ...” the Doctor's voice said.

“You don't like me playin' with it?” Rose's voice asked.

“I love you playing with it, but this really isn't ... Ow!”

“Am I pullin' it too hard?”

“You're gonna rip it out!”

Jack's eyes widened. He pressed his ear against the door, listening a little harder.

“Sorry, it's just never been this long before...”

“Well this is what happens when you don't touch it for two months.”

“Believe me, it's all I thought about.”

“Really?”

“I really wanted to just get my hands all over it ...”

Jack wondered just how exactly the Doctor had mustered the energy to do this, debating whether to go in or not.

“Is it hard?” the Doctor's voice asked.

“It is a little bit. How did you do it before you met me?”

“I did it myself.”

“Is there an alien thing to make it better?”

“No, just grab and go.”

Jack decided enough was enough. He grabbed the door handle and pushed it open, but to his utter surprise, he found the Doctor sat in a chair in the clear area of the room dressed in boxers and a t-shirt, and Rose cutting his hair.

“Hey,” Rose said to Jack, smiling.

“Right,” Jack said, glancing between them. “Sorry, thought you were doing something else. Rose, you want something to eat?”

The Doctor and Rose simultaneously blinked.

“It's bacon butties,” Jack said helpfully.

There was a momentary pause before the Rose spoke, “um, yeah, okay. Thanks.”

“Okay, I'll bring some up,” Jack said, before turning to the Doctor. “Martha says I'm not allowed to feed you anything too heavy right now because you'll probably puke it back up again,” he said, shrugging. “Do you want me to make something light?”

“Yes, please. Thank you.”

“No problem,” Jack replied, and walked casually out the door.

The Doctor and Rose looked at each other for a moment, and then both burst into sniggers as Rose finished up his makeover.

“There,” she said, running her hands through his hair, checking the length. “Okay.” She rummaged through the makeover bag she'd bought, holding up a mirror. “What do you think?”

He took the mirror, staring at himself for a moment, hand running down his chin. “I can see my face,” he said dumbly.

“Pretty, isn't it?” she replied, smiling.

He beamed, then looked up at her. “Thank you.”

“Pleasure,” she replied, taking the mirror back. “Can you get back to bed?”

He pulled a face, considering the pain and effort it had taken to move the metre to the chair an hour previously. “I don't really want to try.”

“Okay, we'll wait for Jack,” she said, stealing yet another kiss from him. They both needed it.

“Will you stay with me today?” he asked quietly.

She suddenly looked a little winded. “Oh, no, I'm sorry. Me, Leah and Gwen are goin' out shoppin' in a bit. Wanted some more stuff for Leah’s birthday.”

“Oh,” he said, looking a little miffed.

Rose frowned. “Sorry, do you want me to get you anythin'?”

The Doctor thought for a moment. “No, thanks. Just make sure Leah gets whatever she wants.”

Rose nodded. “And we need to do somethin' else for her birthday. I'll pick a few things up but I think she deserves a lot more than presents.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, then paused for thought. “I think she just wants us all to be together again. Maybe just us three go somewhere nice for a while together.”

Rose nodded. “Yeah, and I think we all need a break before this one arrives,” she said, gesturing to her belly. “But where?”

“I'll think of something,” he said, just as the door opened to reveal Jack holding a tray, shortly followed by a very annoyed-looking Leah.

“You left me!” she accused her Mum, very irritated indeed.

Rose laughed, gathering the girl into her arms. “I'm sorry, you looked happy playin' on your own.”

“Don't leave me again!” she insisted, clinging tightly onto Rose as Jack placed the tray on the side table, looking at the Doctor's restoration of sticky-uppy hair and sideburns.

“Oh, pretty,” he said, grinning.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. “Can you move me?”

Jack obediently he picked up the Time Lord in both arms, trying to navigate around the IV lines. The Doctor was obviously trying to not cry out in front of Leah and resorted to shaking slightly as Jack laid him gently back on the bed. He recovered his senses in time for Jack to gave him a banana, some marmalade on toast and a cup of tea.

He beamed. “Thanks,” he said, peeling the banana and taking a hearty bite, before looking down at Leah and offering a smile. “Hello, you.”

She looked up at him, obviously wanting to hug him as tightly as she was hugging her Mum, but the bed was a bit high. Jack took pity on her and grabbed her, lifting her onto the bed beside her Dad where she quickly moved to hold him, careful not to hurt him.

“Gwen says to meet at the Hub door when you're done, no rush,” Jack told Rose, who nodded as he left the room.

“Are you gonna be fine now?” Leah asked the Doctor.

“Yep, I'll be tickety boo in no time.” He paused, frowned. “... Did I just say tickety boo?”

Rose giggled through mouthfuls of bacon sandwich.

“Will you come with us today?” Leah asked.

He shook his head. “No, sorry, Leah.”

“Daddy's gotta stay in this room for a while,” Rose said gently. “He's not very well.”

“Can I stay, please?” Leah asked.

“No, you go with Mummy and have some fun,” the Doctor said, stroking her hair. “You can get whatever you want from the shops, okay? If you see something you like, you let Mummy or Auntie Gwen know straight away and they'll get it for you.”

“But please, I wanna stay and talk to you, Daddy,” Leah said pleadingly.

“You can talk to me when you get back,” he said with a smile, kissing her forehead.

“Promise?” Leah asked.

He nodded, but was cut short of anything else he might have said as the door opened to reveal the Master, propped up on a crutch. Leah took one look at him, quickly turning to hug her Dad even tighter for protection.

“Good morning, Leah,” the Master greeted, smiling.

She huddled more into her Dad, tears erupting in her eyes.

“But that was my most genuine-looking smile!” the Master exclaimed, surprised.

Rose quickly moved across the room to join her husband and daughter, considering any potential weapons she could use if he dared to take one step closer.

The two Time Lord's eyes met, and instantly the atmosphere tensed incredibly.

“Please leave,” the Doctor said simply.

The Master seemed a little surprised, to say the least. “Not even a chat?”

“If you want to talk to me, come back later. Now please leave, because you're upsetting my daughter.”

The Doctor half expected him to retort, but to his complete surprise, there was only a nod in response. The Master made to turn, but stopped halfway and looked at Leah.

“Bye, Leah,” he said, then left.

As his shuffles faded away, they relaxed again. The Doctor glanced at Rose before looking down to Leah, thumbing tears away from her eyes.

“Hey, he's gone now,” he said gently, kissing her forehead.

“I don't like Uncle Harry,” she said quietly.

“Don't call him Uncle Harry anymore,” the Doctor said quickly. “His name is the Master, and I am never going to let him near you ever again, so don't worry about a thing. Now you two go.”

Rose nodded, leaning forward to kiss him before he kissed Leah good bye and Rose picked her up, holding her close. The good mood had been successfully slayed by the Master's surprise appearance.

“Hey, smile you two,” he said, offering them a grin. “While you're off having fun I'm gonna be sat here alone for hours.”

“I'll send Jack up to play with you,” Rose told him, giving him a cheeky smile in return.

“Please don't,” the Doctor said quickly, looking a little horrified.

She laughed. “Bye,” she said, and he sketched a wave as she and Leah left. He sighed, and reached for the cup of tea.

* * *

_The Doctor was lost, and completely alone._

_Everywhere was darkness, pain, and rage. He was running down a metal corridor consumed in darkness, a million doors spread either side of him. There was someone screaming a bloodcurdling scream, begging for help, calling out his name ... But he couldn't find them. Which room were they in?!_

_He kept running. He had to find them, had to help them. But he couldn't, and it was getting worse and worse. The horrific screaming was becoming louder, and louder, and louder, and ..._

“Doctor!” a voice said and he was wrenched from the dream to find Jack standing over him, hands resting on his shoulders.

The Doctor blinked, looking around with wide eyes to find himself lying in the Torchwood medical room as always. His eyes connected with Jack's, who looked a little relieved to say the least.

“You all right?” the ex-Time Agent asked, worried.

The Doctor blinked again a few times, sitting up slightly. “Yeah. Bad dream.”

Jack nodded, understanding. “Are you all right to get up?”

The Doctor noticed the sense of urgency in his voice. “What's happened? Are Rose and Leah okay?”

Jack nodded quickly. “They're fine, it's just ... There are some Judoon standing in the Hub, asking for you.”

* * *

Jack didn't need a telescope to see how fed up the Doctor was. Frankly, if Jack were in his shoes, he'd be pretty fed up as well. The Doctor was in fact so sick of it, that as he approached a thicket of Judoon and a woman in the black dress he was already off on one.

“Thought I told you to leave me alone?” the Time Lord spat, thoroughly annoyed.

The woman shifted, seemingly slightly uncomfortable. “You are still a prosecuted felon, Doctor, we cannot simply let you go.”

“Oh, so after you've stolen my child for no reason, tortured me, encroached on my wife's rights, threatened my wife, shot someone no premise, orchestrated a unfair hearing, taken jurisdiction over a level five planet, caused possible untold damage to an unborn child, neglected the welfare of your prisoners and then attempted to murder them, I'm _still_ the bad person?”

The woman nodded, still very wary. “We admit we have acted in breech of our own law and are prepared to give you and your family compensation for any physical or mental trauma that resulted as a direct consequence of ...”

“I don't _want_ your compensation!” the Doctor interrupted rudely. “I just want you to leave me and my family _alone_.”

“You are still a prosecuted felon, Doctor, the law demands that we ...”

“I have abided by your laws my entire life, and this is how you have chosen to repay me,” the Doctor interrupted again. “I no longer have any interest in the activities of the Shadow Proclamation. I don't want to be associated with you.”

“Perhaps we could compromise?” the woman proposed quietly.

“Oh, I've got a compromise,” the Doctor spat. “If you don't get in my way, I won't get in yours. Leave and never _ever_ contact me again.”

“We do not have the power to simply dismiss the case against you, you must serve a sentence...”

Jack had heard enough, stepping up beside the Doctor. “So you're going to lock an innocent man up in Volag-noc for five thousand years?” he interrupted. “That's the solution?”

“Perhaps a better compromise can be found...”

“I'd love to hear it,” the Doctor said sarcastically.

“A banishment to Earth for ten years, or one year in Volag-noc.”

“I'll take the banishment,” the Doctor replied. “Now get the hell out of here, and don't bother me again.”

“That is confirmed,” the woman said. “You have chosen ten Earth years...”

“Sorry,” the Doctor interrupted, finger in the air. “You stated 'ten years' in your original clause, which I accepted. You failed to state the specific measurement of a year, which gives me the right to chose. You don't have the right to retract that statement, and I have chosen ten years in the time of the Western Neblax Cluster 34, which I will happily serve. Now get lost.”

The woman looked at him, utterly beaten. “Farewell, Doctor,” she said simply, and the crowd teleported out.

Jack looked at the Doctor. “How long is that in Earth time?”

“Four hours and fifty-six minutes,” the Doctor replied.

Jack just laughed, and he made to pick up the Time Lord to take him back to bed. But before he could make a move suddenly the Master appeared, as ever propped up on a crutch and hobbling towards them. The temperature in the room almost seemed to drop with his presence.

“Doctor,” he said.

“Master,” the Doctor acknowledged.

“How about that chat, now?”

“Okay.”

The Master glanced at Jack, who was listening intently. “In private?”

“We can do it here,” the Doctor said casually.

The Master glanced at Jack standing next to the Doctor, holding him up. “Fine. I'd just like to know. Where do we stand?”

The Doctor stared at him. “What are you expecting me to say? I forgive you?”

“That's usually how it goes, isn't it?”

The Doctor’s face turned. “You expect my forgiveness? You sold my entire family out. You put my daughter in danger, my wife in danger, me in danger. You stabbed me in front of Leah, then you stood by and watched as they tortured me, and did tests on my daughter. She's only a toddler, Master, and you let them do what the hell they liked with her. You didn't even try to stop them from potentially harming my son. You must've known what was going on, but you did nothing. Because you are sick. I am _never_ going to forgive you.”

The Master stared at him. “Why did you save me, then?”

“I _was_ going to kill you and I would've happily let you die, but I've realised since that death's too good for you, Master,” the Doctor grated. “I'm just going to let you live with it, and see how it turns out. Because you actually like Leah, don't you? She's grown on you. Why don't you just chew over the fact that you made all that happen to her, and now she's so scared of you that she won't even look at you.” He paused to let that sink in, before he continued, “you can stay here for as long as it takes you to recover, then I'm sure Jack can arrange transport for you back to Daufor. But as soon as you walk out that door, you are completely dead to me. And you know what? I don't even hate you. I nothing you. You aren't worth knowing and you've been a part of my life for far too long. You are not going to be a part of Leah's life any longer and my son will never even hear your name. Go and find someone else to annoy, because I'm done with you.”

“You're cutting me out,” the Master realised, astonished. “You can't cut me out! What about Gallifrey, Doctor, the last Time Lords ...”

“Gallifrey has been gone for a very long time, Master,” the Doctor grated. “Move on. I have. I'm happy, I've found a new home here on Earth, and it's a whole lot better than how I was forced to live on Gallifrey. I have amazing friends and a beautiful family, I have free will, no debt to pay to men in dresses. What do you have? A dog. A dog who you've forgotten about and left in Daufor to fend for himself. If you're lucky he might still be alive when you get back.”

The Master, for once in his life, didn't have a retort of any kind. Not even a mildly insulting one. And as it happened, he couldn't even think of a final word to finish on, so he just turned and left.

Jack and the Doctor just watched him go for a moment, before he disappeared around the corner.

“Cujo's not dead,” Jack suddenly said.

“What?”

“Well I couldn't leave him there, could I?” Jack pointed out. “Cujo! Here boy!” he called, and within moments Cujo appeared from seemingly nowhere, bounding up to them and commencing running circles around them both, his tongue hanging out, tail waggling.

“Cujo!” Jack called again. “Sit!”

The dog continued running circles around them, completely ignoring Jack.

“Sit! Sit! Cujo! Sit!!!”

Cujo barked happily, still running around.

“Cujo, shush!” Jack urged, glancing at the direction the Master had gone. “No barking, sit! Sit!”

Cujo blatantly ignored him once more, but stopped in front of the Doctor, still not sitting.

“He did it earlier,” Jack said lamely.

“Are you keeping him?” the Doctor wondered, reaching down to stroke the dog.

Jack nodded. “I'm gonna train him up to find injured people and smell out aliens. He's gonna be the Torchwood dog.”

The Doctor paused to consider his own alien self, standing there injured in front of the seemingly oblivious dog. “He's not very good at it,” he said.

“Well, not yet, but I'm working on it,” Jack insisted. “Sit! Sit!”

The Doctor realised very quickly that he was going to be there for a very long time.


	29. Oval or Square?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Rose finally get the chance to speak about their ordeal.

As Leah, Gwen and Rose got back in the early evening laden with bags full of toys, they found the Hub bristling with activity. A little concerned, Rose quickly stopped Jack as he walked by pushing a wheelchair, asking him what was going on.

“The Doctor wants to move to the Tardis,” he said, and moved off again. Rose glanced at Gwen, who nodded reassuringly.

“Leah, I'm just gonna go to Daddy, okay?” Rose said gently. “Stay with Auntie Gwen for a bit.”

Leah nodded as her Mum rushed off to follow Jack, watching her go.

Gwen looked down at Leah and beamed. “Let's take all your new stuff to your room then, shall we?” she said, grabbing Rose's extra bags and grunting slightly through the weight. “Thank God everything’s bigger on the inside.”

* * *

It was around twenty minutes until the Doctor was finally laid into his and Rose's bed in the TARDIS, groaning quite badly. Martha gave him a painkiller to compensate before commencing a quick check over as Rose sat on the bed next to him, holding his hand.

“Well, the good news is, you're no longer dehydrated or malnourished, and you can slowly wean yourself back onto food over the next few days,” Martha began, checking the notes she'd made. “I also might be able to take out the stitches soon. Your burns are also healing, your blood levels are fine, and your bones are well on the way to knitting back together.”

“And the bad news?” the Doctor wondered.

“Oh, there's no bad news,” Martha assured him, smiling. “Just good. Despite your little wander around this morning, but I'll forgive you.”

The Doctor gave a half-smile. “Thanks.”

“And no getting up for at least another twelve hours,” she said sternly.

Jack looked at Rose and grinned. “If you've still got those handcuffs, now's the time to use them.”

Rose laughed. “I just might.”

Jack raised his eyebrows. “Don't break him again just yet,” he said, grinning before he and Martha rapidly left to let them get on with it.

Rose looked at him, kissing him gently. “Wander?” she asked.

“Shadow Proclamation turned up,” the Doctor said, and instantly Rose looked like she was about to explode, so he quickly continued, “they won't be bothering us again.”

“Oh thank god,” Rose breathed.

“And the Master,” he carried on. “Who also won't be bothering us again if he knows what's good for him.”

She leant over to kiss him again. “Why did you wanna move?”

He looked a little embarassed. “I need to sleep next to you again.”

She laughed, then stopped at his expression. “... What's wrong?”

“Well ... you know I used to have nightmares? They stopped when we bonded and started sleeping together ... But I had one again earlier.”

Her face dropped, realising how damaged he still was. She reached up to his cheek. “Tomorrow I'm gonna take you outside.”

He looked at her. “What?”

She offered him a small smile. “Trust me. You need it.” Then quicker than a flash, she changed the topic. “Better go and make some dinner,” she said, sliding off of the bed and moving towards the door. “Don't go anywhere,” she joked, and closed the door behind her.

“Rose! Wait!” he yelled, reaching out. “Wait!” But she was already gone. He sighed, looking around the room for something to entertain him. “Oh!” he exclaimed, reaching out to a copy of Cosmo magazine on Rose's bedside table, flicking through with interest.

* * *

“Is Daddy better now?” Leah asked quietly, sitting at the kitchen table as Rose prepared dinner.

“No, he's not well, it's going to take him a while to get better,” she replied gently.

“Oh,” Leah said, a little disappointed.

“But that doesn't mean you can't go and see him,” Rose continued. “He just can't get out of bed at the moment so you'll have to go to him and take your toys if you wanna play.”

Leah instantly perked up again. “Can I go now?”

“No, I'm sorry, Leah,” Rose said gently. “Dinner's almost ready and then you need to have a bath and go straight to bed, we've had a really long day and I need to look after your dad. You can tomorrow, okay?”

Leah nodded, but was clearly disappointed again.

Rose looked at her, sympathetic. “Why don't you help me make dinner?” she asked, turning to the girl with a chopping knife in her hand. Leah stared at her for a moment, then rapidly shook her head, before covering up her face.

“Okay,” Rose said, turning back.

* * *

“Rose, have I got an oval face or a square face?” the Doctor's voice asked as she opened the door, registering him sitting up in the bed reading her copy of Cosmo.

She giggled. “More oval than square.”

“Apparently I should apply blush just under my cheek-bone and fade in a smooth arc towards the top of my ear to define my cheekbones ...” he mused.

“Yes, darling,” Rose said insincerely, grinning. “Leah wants to say good night.”

He nodded. Rose let the girl in and she jumped up onto the bed to her Dad in her pyjamas, reaching up for a hug and a kiss.

“G'night, Leah,” he said, hugging her tightly. “Sorry I'm being useless at the moment. I promise I'll make it up to you.”

She nodded, looking a little happier than when she'd come in. “Night night, Daddy.”

“Sleep well,” he said and she slipped off of the bed again to go back to Rose. He picked up the copy of Cosmo again, resuming reading before Rose returned to find him completely absorbed in it.

“I worry about you,” she mused, staring at the sight. He just grinned. “I'm gonna make you some soup, get your medication then you're going to sleep.”

“Yes, Mother,” the Doctor replied as she pecked a kiss to his lips before moving to the door.

The Doctor absently flicked to the next page of the magazine. “Ooo! Perfume smelly thing!” he enthused, and Rose could only roll her eyes.

* * *

The next morning the Doctor had decided to scan himself to check if there was going to be any lasting damage, and in the presence of Rose and Jack he had said everything looked good. It was then Rose that helped him get dressed ready for the Welsh weather, and loaded him in a wheelchair to wheel him out of Torchwood onto the Plass, leaving Leah in the care of Jack.

They went out into the rain, splashing through puddles rapidly forming on the ground – but to the Doctor it felt a whole lot different. Rose pushed him to the railings along the boardwalk and parked the chair right next to it, giving him a view out over the bay of a miserable rainy day in Cardiff.

She moved around to smile at him. “All right?”

His face broadened into a smile. “... Just hit me that I haven't been outside for two-and-a-half months.”

She nodded. “Me and Leah felt like that. It was kinda shockin'. Fresh air feels weird, yeah?”

“A good weird,” he said, reaching up to take down his hood and leaning back in the chair to stare at the sky just to feel the droplets on his face. “I missed the rain. How could I miss the rain?”

She laughed. “This is why I brought you out.”

“You were right, I needed this,” he said, smiling at her. “Thanks.”

She just smiled in return, but dived to help him when he suddenly pushed himself onto two feet and limped over to sit on the railings.

“Okay?” she asked, a little worried his boney frame would topple backwards at any moment.

He nodded. “You worry too much.”

She laughed, taking a seat next him as the rain continued to pelt down on them, the sea breeze hitting them full in the face. But the Doctor didn't seem to care, so neither did she. She just took his scarred hand as tightly as she dared, and the both of them stared out to the horizon.

She looked back at him, but he was looking at the calm water. She could feel him through the bond, trying not to cry. So she helped him down and back to his chair, and reached forward to draw his hood back up again, brushing a piece of stray hair from his forehead before kissing him.

“It's okay, you can do it now,” she whispered. “No one'll see.”

That was all he needed. He started sobbing unashamedly in the Welsh rain, his shoulders shaking with the tears. She leant forward and took him into a wet embrace, just holding him for a few moments to let him expel everything that had been building for probably months.

She was only just becoming accustomed to his emotion. Back before the family – when they had just been travelling together – he’d never been particularly emotive. But day by day as they grew to know each other a bit better, he was beginning to expose himself to her in every way possible.

It wasn’t the first time she’d seen him cry. That had been two months after Leah had been born, when Leah had began to throw up almost relentlessly. He’d failed to keep calm, turning utterly ballistic and furiously scanning her and re-reading all of the books he had on human babies. Eventually he’d hauled in Martha, and Leah had been diagnosed with pyloric stenosis, and Martha had contacted a UNIT friend to perform the minor surgery. Whilst Leah was in the OR, Rose found that the Doctor had disappeared, and had eventually found him inside the TARDIS console, hugging his knees, crying, and staring at nothing. In turn, that had made her cry, and the two panicked parents had held each other in the warm golden glow of the TARDIS in silence until Martha had come to find them to say Leah was perfectly fine.

So now here he was, crying again, which was once more making her want to cry. But she couldn’t. Not this time. She had to be his rock. So she held him, and kept holding him; drawing back only when it felt right. She cupped his cheek and gazed into his watery eyes. He still had bruises and cuts all over his face, memories of what had been.

“Tell me how you feel,” she said gently, wiping a tear from under his eye away with her thumb.

“Broken,” he croaked.

She nodded, understanding. “Talk to me.”

“I was so stupid,” he whispered, looking at the ground. “Giving Leah to him ... Why the hell did I do that?! I nearly killed her. You should hate me.”

She leant forward to kiss him. “I don't hate you, I don't blame you. With the whole of Earth and all the Judoon in the Proclamation on the hunt for you two, you didn't have any choice. I know there was nothin' else you could have done.”

“Yeah, I could,” the Doctor sobbed. “Anything would’ve been better than that. Anything at all ...”

“Hey,” Rose said sternly, forcing his head up to look at her. “I know why you did it, and in your shoes I would've done the same. None of what happened was your fault, everythin’ happened because of the Master. Please don't blame yourself. Everything's fine now. We’re all okay.”

He sniffed, shifting closer to her. “I thought Koschei ... I thought he was still alive in there, somewhere ... but he wasn't. I was trying to resurrect the dead. Koschei is gone, consumed by hate. My best friend is dead, and has been for a very long time.” He swallowed, closing his eyes. “I wonder when Theta died.”

“From what I saw, Theta was kind and loyal to his friends, even when he knew he was goin' down, and he didn't take any credit for anythin'. Theta didn't die, Doctor, he just grew up. And he's sittin' in front of me right now.”

He looked at her. “Really?”

“Really,” she confirmed.

He sniffed back the next tear, gazing at her under the hood. He leant forward to kiss her this time, his arms around her.

“I need to tell you something,” he croaked.

“What?”

“When I did the scan earlier, there was a problem.”

“What problem? You said everythin' was fine?”

“Well, when I was imprisoned they got quite a lot of drugs in me, my fever was sky high, I wasn't getting hardly any food or water, they beat me, and other things, and now... Well... I didn't want to say it in front of Jack, but. ..” He paused to swallow, staring at her, urging her to catch on as he gestured vaguely downwards.

Her eyes widened. “You mean you're...”

“Infertile,” he confirmed. “It's not going to heal, not until I regenerate.”

Rose looked at him. “How bad is it?”

“Everything functions, except I can't make you pregnant again.”

She kissed him. “Fine by me.”

He stopped her, pulling back. “That's really okay?”

“Of course,” she replied. “We don't have to worry about me getting pregnant, now. And we have two kids already, I don't think we ever thought of having a third. Did you?”

He shook his head.

“Besides, if I want another baby, all I've gotta do is push you in front of a bus,” she said, almost seriously.

He laughed. “Well, I'm glad that's sorted,” he said, and she smiled in return. “I love you.”

“Quite right too,” she replied and they both laughed, just holding each other in the rain. When they finally drew away the Doctor was wiping at his eyes.

“Martha's right, I'm turning into a middle-aged human,” he muttered with a weak grin.

She beamed at him. “The day you turn into a middle-aged human will be the day pigs fly,” she assured him.

The Doctor was about to hold her again, when something caught the corner of his eye. He drew back and looked up to the sky, frowning slightly. Rose followed his gaze, her jaw slowly dropping as she slowly realised that it was a pig falling down from the sky towards the sea, squealing as it went. It landed in the water with a splash.

The Doctor and Rose looked at each other.

“Um ... That doesn't count, right?” the Doctor asked mildly.

“Did I just see a pig falling from the sky?” Rose asked slowly.

The Doctor suddenly shot to attention, realising. “Oh, my stupid brain! The rift! I completely forgot! C'mon!”


	30. Uncle Jack's Life Skills Lesson 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor, Jack and Mickey leave to find Jackie, while the Master gets his chance to speak with Leah.

“Right Leah, let's go over this one more time,” Jack began, standing in front of the little girl in the TARDIS living room. “Let's role play. I'll set the scene. You're alone in a forest, just you, your tent and campfire. Suddenly you hear a noise, and the cracking twigs of steps getting closer towards you ... And then you see mean hairy creature popping his head out from behind the trees ...” Jack mimed peeking out from behind a tree, looking around and sniffing slightly, before he looked at Leah.

“He's coming towards you, Leah!” Jack warned, creeping slowly towards the girl. “What d'you do? He's nearly got you!”

Leah planted her feet to stand her ground, hunched up her shoulders and screamed with everything she had. 

Jack instantly grunted and put his hands over his ears. “Okay! Okay! Nicely done,” he said as she stopped screaming and beamed at him. “But oh no, Leah! It hasn't worked! He's got you, Leah!” Jack grabbed the girl under the arms and lifted her up. “What d'you do, Leah? What do you do?” She laughed as she struggled in his grip. “Giggling won't help! He's gonna eat you, Leah!”

Leah instantly sagged in Jack's grip, closing her eyes and playing dead. 

Jack grinned. “Nice one!” he said, making to set her down on the floor, but she was still limp. He saw a small smile tug at the edge of her lips and he rolled his eyes, lying her down on the floor.

“Leah? Oh no! Leah! What have I done? I've killed you!” Jack said dramatically as Leah visibly struggled not to giggle. “Your Mummy and Daddy are gonna be so cross with me. Or you know, they might not mind. You're such a nuisance. Maybe they won't notice.”

Leah bolted upright instantly. “Uncle Jack!”

Jack pretended to jump. “Oh, Leah, you're alive! Thank God!”

She laughed as he hugged her tightly. 

“Well done, Leah, you've passed Uncle Jack's Life Skills lesson number nine of surviving in the wild,” Jack said. “Next time we'll do opening deadlocked doors. Once you can do that, you'll be way more useful than your Daddy.”

She laughed again, just as the door opened and Rose and the Doctor appeared, eyes instantly resting on Jack. 

“Jack,” the Doctor breathed through pants for air. “The rift. What's the mefenisamation category at?”

Jack blinked. “What?”

“You know, the thing that goes bip-bop,” the Doctor gestured vaguely. 

There was a pause, as Jack looked at Rose behind the Doctor, who just shrugged. 

“C'mon!” the Doctor urged.

“... Mefe bip-bop what?”

“Oooh, Harkness,” the Doctor sighed in exasperation, quickly losing interest in him and turning to look at Rose. “Console room,” he said, leaning heavily on the door frame. She nodded, helping to support him as he beckoned Jack and Leah to follow them.

They reached the console room of the TARDIS, and instantly the Doctor began to hammer buttons, staring at the monitor.

“Mefenisamation at seventy-six percent ...” he thought aloud. “Just checking the feedback ratio ... fifteen percent. Okay, good. Good. Matter density ninety-seven percent ... tricky ... but if the disperser is at full capacity ...” He tapped some more keys, then suddenly beamed. “Yes!”

“What?” Rose asked.

“I can surf the anti-matter wave at full capacity to transcend the vortex shell and break through the polarisation limiters to mefenise at ninety-seven perecent density and create a feedback loop!” he announced happily. He waited for a reaction, but didn't get one. 

“You're gonna what now?” Rose asked, breaking the silence.

He cleared his throat, trying again. “I err ... Rose.” He turned to her. “I think I can get to the parallel world to pick up your mum and Tony.”

Rose was stunned into absolute silence. Jack looked between the Doctor and Rose, then down at Leah, who was gazing at her father. A few more seconds passed.

“Reaction?” the Doctor wondered.

“That's ...” Rose began, staring at him with wide eyes. “That's ... You could do that?”

He nodded, then looked down at Leah standing there holding her new cuddly bunny, Floppy, and offered her a smile. “How would you like to meet your granny for real, Leah? And for her to stay with us for a while?”

Leah nodded enthusiastically, running to hug her Dad's leg. 

But Rose didn't seem fully convinced. “Is it safe?” she asked suddenly. 

He winced. “Umm ... Not completely, no. But everything has a risk.”

Rose stared at him. “Please don't do anythin' that might kill you just for the sake of my Mum. If it's not safe, don't do it, I'll understand.”

He gazed at her. “It's safe. I promise.”

Rose offered a small smile. “Okay. Just don't be lying.”

His face spread into a grin. “Take Leah and stay in Torchwood, send Mickey in here,” he ordered.

“What? No, I'm comin'.”

“No, you're not,” the Doctor said gently. “There's no telling what diseases Jackie and Tony may be carrying around that this universe hasn't met yet. If you contract anything, it could harm our son, and Leah's immune system wouldn't be strong enough to handle it. If I manage to get them and bring them back, Jackie and Tony will have to spend a couple of days in quarantine until they're cleared of anything that might hurt anyone here.”

Rose paused for a moment, staring at him. “Okay,” she finally said, reaching up to kiss him before looking down at Leah, taking her hand not holding Floppy the bunny. “C'mon, let's get out of your Daddy's way.”

Leah nodded. “Bye bye, Daddy,” she said quietly, looking up at him. 

He smiled and knelt down to hug her. “See you in a bit,” he said gently, then looked up at Rose. “Get Mickey, I need him.”

Rose nodded, then she and Leah left. Jack made to go after them, but the Doctor quickly stopped him.

“Need you, stay here.”

Jack looked at him. “Just off the record, percentage chance that we'll die?”

The Doctor pulled a face. “Um ... thirty-seven percent? Ish?”

“Great,” Jack breathed. “What d'you need me for?”

“To help me stand up,” the Doctor grunted. Jack took the hint and quickly grabbed him to stop him collapsing, just as the TARDIS door opened and Mickey peeked his head in.

“You need me?”

“Yeah, come in, close the door,” the Doctor said quickly, flicking a few switches on the console. “I'm going try and take advantage of this rip and cross to the parallel world, hopefully localising on the mansion. I need you to run out and find Jackie and Tony as quick as you can. You know the place best.”

Mickey nodded, moving up to the console. “You're gonna bring Jackie and Tony back to this world?”

“Hopefully,” the Doctor said, tapping some more buttons. He flicked a final switch with a flourish then looked at Jack and Mickey. “Word of advice, hold onto something.”

* * *

Leah had soon become bored of the adult talk everyone else was engrossed in, and decided to wander off on her own, unnoticed into the parts of Torchwood she’d never been before.

There was a  _ lot  _ of junk. Dead computers, wires, pieces of metal. She made her way carefully over the worst of it, holding Floppy the bunny every step of the way. Suddenly something caught on her foot and she stumbled slightly, flinging out her hands for something to grab and instead making Floppy fly across the room and bounce down a nearby set of metal steps in front of her. She gritted her teeth, continuing over the junk until she reached the steps. Floppy was lying at the bottom. She slowly clambered down them until she reached the bunny, holding out her hand to take it ...

A bigger hand suddenly grabbed Floppy before she could, picking her up. Leah slowly drew back her arm and panned up her eyes to reveal it was the Master, towering above her.

“Hello, Leah,” he said.

Leah stared at him, her eyes wide and fearful. She tried stretching up on tiptoes to take Floppy from him, but the Master held it out of Leah's reach, staring at the bunny with interest.

Leah backed away slightly, apprehensive. “... Please will you give Floppy back?”

The Master looked at her for a moment, then at the cuddly rabbit in his hand. “Is Floppy your new Bundy?” he wondered.

“Please, I want Floppy,” Leah said quietly, tears in her eyes.

“You don't have to be scared of me, Leah,” the Master assured her seriously. “I'm not going to do anything to you.”

“Please give me Floppy back,” she said quietly. 

“I will, but I'd like to talk to you first.”

Her wet eyes flickered between him and Floppy, trying to decide whether she should stay for Floppy, or run. It only took a few seconds to decide. She looked at the Master, and nodded slowly.

“Ah, good. Come here, then,” the Master said.

Leah shook her head firmly, her feet rooted to the spot as she lifted her shoulders slightly to try and make herself look bigger than she actually was.

“Well okay, then,” the Master said, and took a seat for himself on a nearby broken computer tower. “I feel we're a lot alike, you and I. I'm clever, you're clever; I'm adorable, you're adorable; I'm Gallifreyan ... and so are you.”

Leah didn't say a word, just staring at him and preparing herself for a scream if she had to.

“It's not your fault that you have an idiot for a father, I did too, but I prevailed. I think you can too.”

“My daddy's not an idiot,” Leah suddenly said, a little angry.

“Yes, he is, he's an idiot that won't listen to what you have to say,” the Master said gently. “Don't waste your time with a father who clearly has no concern for you.”

“He's busy,” Leah said quietly. 

“Too busy for you? His precious daughter whom he supposedly loves completely?” the Master asked, a little cynical. “I think he has plenty of time, he just chooses not to spend it with you.”

“You're lying,” she said quietly, sniffing. “Daddy loves me.”

“Yet he won't listen. D'you know who will listen? Me. Talk to me, Leah. I will listen to everything you have to say.”

There was a brief moment of silence as they stared at each other. 

“... Please give me Floppy back,” Leah whispered.

The Master looked a little disappointed. “Fine,” he said, and held out the rabbit. Leah went to take it but he didn't relinquish his grip, gazing straight into the girl's eyes. “Think about it, Leah,” he said lowly. “If you ever need me, Uncle Harry is here for you. And you can tell that to your brother too.”

He let go of Floppy, and Leah quickly cuddled her protectively. She stared at the Master some more. “Thank you,” she suddenly said quickly, then turned and ran off up the steps as fast as she could.

* * *

It was beginning to creep into the evening in the Hub, and the Doctor, Jack and Mickey still weren't back. 

The remaining people in the Hub had had fish and chips for dinner, after which Leah had complained of a headache so Martha had found her some crayons and some paper, leaving her to do some drawing as the others busied themselves worrying about where the TARDIS was.

The clock struck 8 o'clock, way past Leah's bedtime, and still there was no sign. Rose was just considering putting her to bed in Torchwood when suddenly came the churning of the TARDIS from across the Hub. She practically ran to it as it faded into existence and Mickey stumbled out, quickly closing the door behind him before almost colliding with Rose.

“Sorry,” he said. “I just had to get away from all the yellin'.”

“What? What's happened?” Rose asked anxiously. “Are Mum and Tony in there?”

“Yeah.”

A massive smile spread onto her face, her entire face lighting up. She hadn't seen them for four years ...

She made forward, but Mickey quickly stopped her. “You can't go in, yet. The Doctor's just gonna put 'em into quarantine then come and get you.”

“Oh.” Rose very quickly realised what all the little details meant. “They're havin' a fight, aren't they?”

“Um, yeah,” Mickey said, pulling a face.

“Four years, two grandchildren and they still can't get on,” Rose breathed. “I'll get Leah.”

Mickey nodded as Rose ran off back across the Hub to where Leah was sat, still colouring. She didn't seem to notice her Mum calling to her until she shook her shoulder, and the girl looked up.

“Daddy's back with Granny,” Rose told her, glancing at all the artwork Leah had created. Red crayon was scribbled messily everywhere. If there was one thing Leah wasn't going to be when she was older, it was an artist.

Leah got up, taking Floppy under one arm and sticking her thumb in her mouth, looking a little sleepy. Rose smiled at her and took her hand, leading her back to the TARDIS. 

The Doctor already had his head stuck out when they got there.

“Sorry for the delay,” he said. “I had to get her to go into quarantine. C'mon.”

\------------

It felt very weird when they reached the infirmary, and even more so when they reached the sealed door to the quarantine section. Rose wasn't quite sure what to make of it when the Doctor pressed his palm against the lock and the door slowly slid back.

“I won't come in with you,” he said, a little apologetically. “She's a teensy,  _ tiny _ bit annoyed at me.”

Rose couldn't help but smile, but it was something that quickly faded. 

He noticed, and hugged her reassuringly. “You're nervous,” he said, puzzled.

“It's just been a while. I feel a bit weird,” Rose admitted, holding Leah's hand a little tighter, who looked up at her still with her thumb in her mouth.

“It'll be fine,” the Doctor said gently, kissing her for support before looking down at Leah. “Ready to meet Granny?” he asked.

Leah nodded, seemingly completely casual about it all. He smiled and stepped back, gesturing for them to enter. “Hand on the lock when you want to leave.”

Rose nodded at him and took a breath, and together she and Leah stepped into an adjoining room to the quarantine section, another metal door barring their way. The door leading back to the Doctor slid closed behind them, and moments later a voice started up out of seemingly nowhere.

“Doctor!” Jackie's voice suddenly shrieked. “I know you're there! I ain't standin' for this! You better bloody let me out  _ right now  _ or I swear to God I'll  _ shove _ your alien head  _ right _ up your...”

A loud buzz conveniently censored any other word Jackie might have said, and the door in front of Rose and Leah slid open to let them through. 

They emerged into a small space for visitors, a large clear screen in front of them. Behind the screen was seemingly some kind of apartment, well decorated and furnished with a fully-equipped kitchen and food dispenser, a living area with high-tech entertainment systems and a dining area complete with a full fruit bowl. There were a few rooms at the back with doors for privacy – a couple of bedrooms and a toilet.

But the nice interior design wasn't what caught Rose's attention, because standing in the middle of the room behind the glass was a small ginger boy and a  _ very _ familiar woman, who was currently staring at Rose with her jaw agape.

“Rose?” she croaked.

“Mum,” Rose said quietly, pulling Leah up to the glass. 

Jackie stared at her, as if unable to process what she was seeing. “Are ... Are you pregnant? Is this Leah? Oh, look how she's grown!”

Rose laughed, having to hold back tears. “It's been so long, Mum. There's so much I need to tell you.”

“I've missed you so much, sweetheart,” Jackie said gently.

“I've missed you too.”

* * *

The Doctor sat outside the quarantine area for ten minutes before Rose reappeared with Leah. He got up instantly, looking at her. “Okay?” he asked.

Rose beamed, reaching to him for a big hug. “Thank you.”

“Pleasure,” the Doctor replied, smiling.

“Can you put Leah to bed? Mum wants to talk to me and you.”

“Really?” the Doctor asked, pulling a face.

Rose suppressed a giggle. “I think she wants to thank you.”

“Really?” the Doctor repeated, pulling another face as he took sleepy Leah's hand. “Dreading this. C'mon, Leah.”

* * *

He put her straight to bed with a kiss and a tight hug, tucking her in. 

She gazed up at him sleepily. “Daddy, I want to talk to you.”

“Not right now, Leah,” he said gently. “You need to sleep and I've gotta go talk to your Granny.”

She gazed at him for a moment. “Okay. Night night, Daddy.”

“G'night, Leah,” the Doctor said gently, kissing her forehead before moving to the door, flicking off the lights.

For a moment Leah just stared at the closed door in the dark, before turning over to hug Floppy a little closer. She was too scared to sleep.


	31. Post-Regeneration Bedwetting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Rose tell Jackie about their ordeal.

Ten minutes later the Doctor and Rose were in the quarantine area, on one side of the glass wall with Jackie on the other. The Doctor was leant against the side propped up by a pillow with Rose next to him, the both of them gazing at Jackie on the other side, just listening. Now the children were in bed, there was really only the truth to be said.

“It was Pete, he changed,” Jackie began quietly in explanation of her desire to cross worlds. “I should've noticed. He was fine to begin with, but then it started. The minute he started getting free control over Torchwood, it was like it flicked a switch in his head or somethin'. It took a couple of years but soon he started only carin' 'bout bloody Torchwood, started sayin' it was his duty to protect the world from alien threats, that the public relied on 'im. Like he'd got it into his 'ead all aliens were bad. But then it got worse. He'd made himself into Earth's hero. He started tryin' to control me and Tony, where we went, what we did, he just kept sayin' we were aliens too...”

“That's stupid,” Rose said disbelievingly. “He really did that?”

Jackie nodded, and for a moment she looked as though she might cry. But she quickly swallowed it down and continued with her story. “So I eventually decided to go to Torchwood to try and talk to him, give him some perspective and a bloody great big smack, when ...”

She trailed off for a moment to glance at the Doctor, who was gazing at her with concerned eyes, encouraging her on.

“... It was horrible. There were dead aliens everywhere. Big, small ... I think some were kids too. It was like he'd hunted down every single one on the planet or somethin'. I just kept thinkin' of you, Doctor, that could've been you. Or Leah. By that point I reckon he woulda killed her on the spot too.”

The Doctor continued to gaze at her, but didn't say a word, just letting her continue.

“Then I realised that he thought of me and Tony as aliens too ... I don't know why he didn't try to kill us. But he cut off all my communication to you, sayin' I was fraternisin' with the enemy. It was gettin' horrible, the day you arrived, Doctor, was the day I was gonna take Tony and leave. I thought we'd be next.”

“Oh, Mum,” Rose whispered, wanting to hug her but the glass wall prevented her, so the Doctor reached out to hug her instead.

“I'm sorry, Jackie,” the Doctor began, holding his partner tightly. “I should've realised he was one of _those_ people before I left you in his care.”

“It's not your fault.”

“No, but ... I had all the signs ...” the Doctor slowly realised, looking at Rose. “Do you remember our first time on the parallel world? Even at the end of it all he wouldn't let you call him Dad. Then in the battle, he took me back to the parallel world and told me how bad it was ... He didn't care about our world or what would happen to it if all the Cybermen were trapped there. He treated me like I was his servant. He said you weren't his wife, Jackie, or you weren't his daughter, Rose. He put his world over you, his family. I thought that changed. I'm sorry, Jackie.”

“It's not your fault,” Jackie repeated. “You came and got me and Tony, Doctor. You've brought me back to my family. That's all that matters. Thank you.”

The Doctor gave a half-smile. “You can come out of quarantine in a day or two, I just need to run checks to make sure you're not carrying a disease this world hasn't met. I can’t risk Rose or Leah contracting anything.”

Jackie nodded, for once completely accepting his explanation. She wiped away an unfallen tear and offered a small smile. “So how 'ave you two been gettin' on? How long till the little one? And who smacked you around?” The last was to the Doctor as she noticed the bruises on his face, the bloodshot eye, the casts on his broken limbs and the cuts and scrapes all over him.

Rose glanced at her husband, and decided to take the reigns. “Yeah, I'm pregnant, it's a boy,” she said, smiling, but then her thoughts turned to the darkness of the past two months and she completely forgot how to smile. She looked at her mother, not really quite sure how to start. “We've ... had a long couple of months, Mum.”

“What happened?” Jackie asked gently, more caring than the Doctor had ever seen her. Rose seemed to shift uncomfortably beside him, taking the hand of his recently reset arm.

She was about to open her mouth to explain, when the Doctor quickly shook his head, sitting up slightly. “I'll explain.”

“Are you sure?” Rose asked, concerned.

He nodded. “I think I need to talk about it, get it out of my system.” She looked at him for a moment before she leant forward, and kissed him for strength. He finally looked at Jackie, and then he began to recount the past three months. By the time he got to the imprisonment, Jackie was crying again. He finally reached the present and Rose was hugging him tightly.

“And you still don't know who set you up?” Jackie asked quietly.

The Doctor shook his head. “It wasn't the Proclamation, it wasn't the Master ... But it's someone who knows me. And he's still out there, somewhere. I have no idea who it could be. No one can command the Proclamation like that. From what he said to me and what the Proclamation targeted, all I can think is that this person has a piece of information that scared the Proclamation about my children... Something so big and important that they felt they could break all their own laws just to get my family imprisoned. But I don't know what that could be either.”

“Are you safe?” Jackie asked quickly, anxious. “Is my family safe, Doctor?”

“I'm not going to let anything happen to them,” the Doctor said sincerely.

“We just need to lay low for a while, Mum,” Rose said gently. “Right, Doctor?”

The Doctor nodded. “Though ... Something this big ... I don't think they're just gonna give up. If I knew what it was ...” He breathed a sigh through gritted teeth, frustrated. “I feel helpless.”

“We need to take a break,” Rose reiterated. “Just me, you, Leah, Mum and Tony. Go somewhere and have some fun.”

“I was thinking,” the Doctor began, looking between Rose and Jackie. “There's a planet called Lix, a prime holiday destination of the Universe, twin suns, beautiful beaches, warm water, great food. A Kizian I know owns a private beach with a four-bedroom bungalow right next to it that he uses as a holiday home and for tourists ... He said I was welcome to use it. After saving him from a Teraca invasion, of course.”

“Sounds perfect,” Rose said, squeezing his hand. “Bit of a rest before this one,” she said, nodding to her swollen belly. The Doctor smiled and rested his hand on the bulge.

“When are you due?” Jackie wondered.

“Two months,” Rose replied.

“Just in time for Christmas,” the Doctor pointed out.

Jackie smiled at that. “You got a name for him, yet?”

“Yeah, he's my little Adam,” Rose said, smiling.

“Aidan,” the Doctor corrected.

“You pronounce that 'Mark'.”

The Doctor pulled a face and looked at Jackie. “We, err ... can't decide.”

“It'll come, love,” Jackie assured him.

“As soon as he hits puberty,” Rose muttered under her breath.

* * *

_The Doctor was lost, and completely alone._

_Everywhere was blackness, pain, and rage. He was running down a metal corridor consumed in darkness, a million doors spread either side of him. There was someone screaming a bloodcurdling scream, begging for help, calling out his name ... But he couldn't find them. Which room were they in!?_

_He kept running. He had to find them, had to help them. But he couldn't, and it was getting worse and worse. The horrific screaming was becoming louder, and louder, and louder, and …_

* * *

“Doctor!”

The Doctor snapped awake, finding Rose leaning over him in the darkness. He blinked a few times, eyes flickering around to see he was in his and Rose's bedroom as he tried to calm his breathing. How did he get so out of breath?

“You were tossin' and turnin',” Rose told him gently. “You okay? Bad dream? Like before?”

He nodded, swallowing slightly. “The same one.”

“Tell me.”

“I'm alone, running down this corridor of darkness with loads of doors everywhere, there's this person screaming for me but I don't know where they are ... it just gets louder and louder, and then I wake up.”

Rose looked sadly down at him, stroking his cheek. “Just a dream, right? You're okay.”

“But it just feels so real.”

She kissed him. “Just a dream,” she repeated. He nodded, if but a little distracted as Rose put her leg between his and wrapped her arm around his neck. For a moment they laid like that, until Rose's hand slowly crept around and pressed between his shoulder blades. He shivered – but it wasn't a good shiver.

“Please don't,” he muttered.

She nodded, understanding as she moved back and just held him in the silence. And for what was probably the first time in the three years of them sleeping together, the Doctor drifted off before her.

For around twenty minutes she just watched him sleep, making sure he wasn't going to plunge into the nightmare again as his chest rose and fell rhythmically and he twitched every so often. Just before she decided to go to sleep, she reached up and kissed him softly, hoping it would give him a good dream.

But just as she settled, there was the sound of quiet crying from outside the door, and the shuffling of toddler feet. Rose sat up, just as the door pushed open to reveal Leah standing there hugging Floppy, sobbing with her thumb stuck in her mouth.

“What's wrong?” Rose whispered quickly.

“Mummy,” she sobbed.

“Come here and be really quiet cos Daddy's sleeping,” Rose whispered gently.

Leah stood still for a moment, before padding quietly over to her Mum's side of the bed and looking up at her with wide eyes.

Rose lifted her to sit on the bed. “Couldn't sleep well?” she whispered.

Leah shook her head, still sucking her thumb with tear lines down her face. “Mummy, I wet the bed.”

Rose nodded. “All right, I'll go clean it up, you stay here with Daddy and try to get some sleep, okay?”

“I'm sorry,” Leah sniffed.

“Don't be sorry, it's fine, really normal,” Rose said gently. “Go to sleep.”

She nodded as Rose climbed out from under the duvet and pulled it over Leah instead, kissing her forehead and tucking her in. Rose moved around to her husband, rousing him gently.

“Leah's wet the bed so she's gonna sleep here while I clean it,” she told him. He nodded tiredly and turned over onto his back, smiling tiredly at Leah who quickly shuffled over to him and buried herself under his arm as Rose left.

“Wet the bed, huh?” the Doctor said quietly, closing his eyes again. “Don't worry. Don't tell your Mum this, but when I regenerate it takes a couple of months to get used to my new body ... Including peeing at night.”

Leah giggled quietly.

“Seriously, don't tell her. Otherwise a lot of things will make a lot of sense.”

Leah giggled again. “Daddy, can we talk tomorrow?”

“Yeah, of course we can. We've missed out on a lot of your schooling, too. Need to have a catch up.”

Leah nodded, and snuggled closer into him, closing her eyes as they both went back to sleep.


	32. Dealing with Tantrums

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Rose experience their first taste as parents of a toddler tantrum.

Rose woke up the next morning to a light knocking on the bedroom door. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, sitting up.

“Yeah?” she asked drowsily, struggling to get her hair out of her eyes. 

The door swung open to reveal Jack, poking his head in. “Thought I should let you guys know, the Master's gone.”

“Thank God,” Rose breathed, looking at Leah and the Doctor beside her, still fast asleep next to each other with Leah cradled in the Doctor's arm. “I'll let him know.”

Jack nodded, following her gaze. “Oh, that's cute,” he remarked.

Rose grinned, slipping quietly out of bed and pulling on a dressing gown, struggling to wrap it over the bump. “He's definitely gone?”

“Left in a taxi this morning,” Jack assured her. “On the way to Daufor right now if he hasn't tried to kill the driver.”

Rose nodded, not even seeing a joke in that. “As long as he gets lost forever.”

Jack just smiled supportively at that, before changing the subject. “You guys need anything?”

Rose shook her head. “No, thanks.”

Jack nodded again. “Call me if you need me,” he said, then left. Rose took another glance at her husband and daughter still fast asleep, before moving off.

She went to the medical room first to pick up the Doctor's pregnancy medication, saying good morning to her Mum and Tony at the same time before moving to the kitchen make some breakfast. Even by the time she got back to the bedroom, the Doctor and Leah were both still asleep. She rolled her eyes and moved to the Doctor, kissing him lightly.

“Doctor,” she said quietly, resting a hand on his shoulder.

He just groaned in reply. 

She smiled and shook his shoulder slightly. “Wake up, lazy bones.”

He groaned again, but kept his eyes closed. 

“Okay,” she said. “Be lazy if you want.”

He groaned once more, but didn't budge an inch. She kissed him again and looked next to Leah to try and wake her up. She reacted exactly the same as the Doctor, groaning and turning further for shelter in her father before Rose eventually managed to get her to sit up, half-asleep, and her hair everywhere as she rubbed bleary eyes.

“Breakfast's ready, it's in the kitchen,” Rose told her gently. Eventually the toddler managed to make it out the door as Rose sighed despairingly and turned back to her husband, who still hadn't moved an inch.

She rolled her eyes and rested the nozzle of the now very familiar needle gun against his shoulder. “I'm gonna give you your medication. Three, two, one ...” She pulled the trigger. It hissed and fired, but the Doctor didn't even flinch. Even after she got dressed he still hadn't moved. “Breakfast's in the kitchen when you're ready.”

He groaned again, as an affirmation that he'd heard.

* * *

It was about twenty minutes before the Doctor decided to get up. He made it to the kitchen, bleary-eyed and half dressed, dropping down into an available chair and rubbing his eyes.

“Good mornin'!” Rose said brightly, giving him a bowl of cornflakes and a cup of tea.

“Yeah,” the Doctor grunted, shoving a spoonful into his mouth.

“Mum's been screamin’ abuse at you for about half an hour.”

“I know,” the Doctor replied tiredly. “I heard through the soundproof walls.”

“You're gonna check her and Tony today, yeah?” Rose asked, taking a seat at the table.

He nodded. “I don't think I get a choice.”

“How long will it take?”

He paused to think. “A day, a bit more, maybe.”

“Good,” Rose replied, reaching forward to try and subdue his bed-hair. It made barely a difference. “Do you need my help?”

He nodded again. “It'd speed it up.”

“Daddy,” a voice suddenly came from the doorway and Leah appeared still in her pyjamas, hands tugging the front of her top as she stared up at him.

“Hmm?” he asked, taking another sip of tea.

“Please can I talk to you today?”

“I'm sorry, Leah,” the Doctor replied, turning to look at her. “I need to check your Gran and Tony all of today.”

Leah's gaze dropped to the floor. “But ... Daddy. ..”

“I'm really sorry, Leah,” Rose said quickly. “Daddy's busy today and I have to help him, so it'll be borin' in here anyway.”

“Okay,” Leah replied, utterly deflated. 

“D’you wanna spend the day with Uncle Jack?”

“No,” Leah replied, still with the same tone of voice. 

“I promise I'll play with you tomorrow,” the Doctor said gently. “But if you don't want to spend the day with Uncle Jack you're gonna have to look after yourself for a lot of today.”

“Okay.”

“Is that all right?”

“Mmm.”

“Good,” the Doctor replied, just as he finished the cornflakes. “Just come to us if you need anything.”

* * *

The Doctor and Rose spent all day checking Jackie and Tony, and by 6pm they were still only halfway through, but decided to call it a day anyway.

The Doctor took a leaf out of Jack's book and took it upon himself to learn how to order some pizza. They ate around the kitchen table with Leah, who spent quite a lot of time staring at her father.

“What did you do today, Leah?” he asked.

She perked up slightly. “I watched TV then I played then I drawed and now I'm eating,” she said quickly, beaming.

The Doctor grinned. “And pretty soon you'll be sleeping,” he joked.

Leah's smile faded slightly, her face unnoticeably paling. “... Yeah.” She paused, and then started again. “Will you play with me tomorrow, Daddy?”

The Doctor pulled a face. “No, I'm sorry Leah, Granny and Tony still need my attention. We'll be done soon.”

“Oh,” Leah muttered in the exact disappointed tone of voice she'd used earlier. Not that it was noticeable enough for anyone else to pick up on.

They chatted idly for a while. It was around about the moment that Rose began a conversation about what they had to do tomorrow with the Doctor that Leah suddenly exploded.

“I hate you!” she suddenly screamed at her parents, dropping to the floor and instantly commencing a  _ massive _ tantrum.

The Doctor looked at Rose, frozen on the spot. He didn't know what to do with a screaming toddler, and by the look on Rose's face, she didn't either.

“Erm ... Question. What do we do?” the Doctor hissed under the sound of the little girl currently screaming her lungs out.

“Err ...” Rose's eyes flashed to the girl just in time to see her assault a tea towel. “What does the sitcom parenting guide say on tantrums?”

“Um ...” The Doctor tried to recall what he'd seen. “... Don't pay attention to it?”

“Okay, we'll do that,” Rose said quickly, turning to look at the wall away from Leah, as did the Doctor. The screaming didn't seem to stop.

“This isn't working,” the Doctor muttered, staring at the wall. 

“We'll wait,” Rose decided. There was a loud crack from across the room.

“I'll bet you a tenner that was the sound of a cupboard breaking,” the Doctor muttered without moving an inch.

“I totally didn't see this comin',” Rose breathed, resisting the urge to glance over her shoulder. “She's gonna hurt herself.” 

“Again! Question!” the Doctor began brightly. “What do we do?”

“Keep ignoring her.”

There was more screaming, crying and stamping of feet as Leah tried desperately to get their attention. 

“She's looking at us,” the Doctor breathed.

“Don't look back,” Rose urged.

“You know, in a way I'm proud,” the Doctor admitted after a moment.

“What?”

“She's having a tantrum. That's normal, right? For a human? This is like her rite of passage. She's a completely normal three-year-old.”

“She didn't really seem like the type,” Rose muttered as the screaming intensified. Another loud crack came.

“Cupboard door number two,” the Doctor noted.

“Sounded more like some kinda utensil to me,” Rose replied.

“The TARDIS is  _ really  _ not gonna be happy with me.”

More screaming.

“Does it sound like it's gettin' quieter?” Rose wondered.

“I can't tell, my ears are ringing.”

Something smashed.

“Was that glass?” Rose asked, anxious.

“Yep,” the Doctor replied, and within seconds both parents were up and moving to grab Leah before she ended up hurting herself on broken glass. “Leah!” the Doctor said quickly, holding her gently to the floor. The screaming seemed to get even louder.

“Leah,” the Doctor said calmly over the screaming. “Calm down.”

She screamed back in a menagerie of incomprehensible words, thrashing around on the floor.

The Doctor glanced at Rose before he took hold of Leah, holding her close, but she wormed about in his grip, still screaming.

“Leah, calm down,” he ordered.

“I don't wanna do it!” she screamed.

“You don't want to what?”

“I don't wanna go to bed!!” she screamed, but seemed to be calming a little in his arms.

“Why don't you want to go to bed?”

“Don't wanna!” she yelled, tears pouring down her face.

“Tell me why not,” he said gently, still holding her close.

She reached up to cling onto him, still crying but no longer struggling. “Don't make me!”

“Why not?” he repeated patiently.

“Don't like it,” she gasped through her sobs. “Don't wanna. Please don't, Daddy, please.”

“Why don't you like it? Is it nightmares?”

She sniffed, trembling through her tears as she nodded fervently, still clinging onto him tightly. The Doctor reached down and pushed her back from him, looking into her eyes. “Nightmares are just dreams, Leah,” he told her. “Yeah, they're very scary, and it's okay to feel scared, but remember they're not real.”

She brought a new set of fresh tears. It was breaking his hearts.

“Please don't cry, you know how much it wrecks me,” he said, offering a small smile. “Daddy's a wimp when it comes to you.”

She suddenly giggled, sniffing despite the fact there was already a load of snot on her face.

“Hey there it is,” the Doctor said, grinning as he brushed back some hair from her eyes. “That beautiful smile. I love you.”

“I'm sorry I got mad,” Leah whispered.

“It's okay, just don't do it again. Anger doesn't solve anything,” the Doctor replied. “But it's bedtime.”

Leah looked ready to burst into tears again. He quickly kissed her forehead to avoid a fresh onslaught.

“Hey, nightmares can't hurt you. Give it a try. If you get really scared, come and find me and Mummy, okay?”

She looked up at him with those watery eyes. “Okay,” she said a little reluctantly.

The Doctor kissed her again as Rose swooped in to pick her up to carry her to bed. They both kissed her goodnight, then left out into the corridor.

“We've entered the tantrum stage,” Rose surmised.

“So that'll end when she's eighteen, then,” the Doctor joked, running a hand through his hair. “I think I need an early night.”

“Me too,” Rose replied. “Let me clean up the glass first.”

Twenty minutes later they were in bed. Thirty minutes after that, they were asleep. Forty minutes after that the Doctor had his recurring dream, and finally at 11pm Leah was in their bed, absolutely petrified.


	33. Floppy Thinks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Rose finally realise that there's something very, very wrong with Leah.

The next day was spent on Jackie and Tony as well, though because Leah had spent the whole day yesterday on her own the Doctor made sure that Jack could look after her. It was another 6pm finish, and the Doctor and Rose found Jack in the kitchen.

“How'd it go?” the immortal asked.

“Good,” the Doctor supposed. “Just need to finalise everything, I'll do that after dinner, then they'll be clear. Should only take about twenty minutes. But I'm starving.”

He dropped down into an available chair, grabbing a handful of chips from the bowl in the centre before he looked around the room. “Where's Leah?”

“In her room,” Jack replied. “She's been trouble today, really bad mood. She didn't want any dinner.”

The Doctor frowned. “I should probably go and talk to her.”

Rose nodded. “I'll save you some chips.”

“No, you won't,” the Doctor replied simply.

“Nope,” Rose said with a laugh, grabbing a handful. 

As the Doctor got up he took a handful to go, and then started off towards Leah's room.

* * *

He found her playing with the exact toys she'd been playing with when he checked in on her at lunch earlier. There were drawings all over the floor of red scribbles and the room was a complete mess.

“Leah?” he asked. 

She almost jumped a foot in the air in surprise, turning around to look at him. She stared at him for a moment, before turning back to her toys and continuing to play.

He frowned and moved forward to stoop down next to her. “You said you wanted to talk?”

“I don't wanna,” Leah replied rudely. “Go away.”

He blinked, a little surprised. “Hey, you said you wanted to talk and I'm sorry I haven't got around to it sooner. But there's no need to be rude.”

She looked at him again, tears filling her eyes. “I'm sorry.”

“It's okay,” he replied gently. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Don't wanna anymore,” she replied simply.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. 

He gazed at her for a few moments. Something was wrong, he could feel it. “You know, I'm not gonna leave until you tell me what's wrong,” he warned, offering a grin as he took a seat next to her.

“My tummy hurts.”

The Doctor brushed back her hair from her forehead caringly. “Did you eat something bad?”

“Don't know,” she sobbed, and then burst into tears. 

The Doctor looked at her with a frown, then at the toys and drawings scattered around ... and then everything slotted into place like the most horrific jigsaw in the universe. “What do you dream about?” he asked quietly, fearfully. 

“Nothing,” she answered almost rudely, making to get up but the Doctor quickly took her arm.

“Leah, please tell me. When you wake up crying what do you dream about?”

She sniffed again before looking up at him through tearful eyes. “You,” she sobbed.

“Me?” he repeated as his hearts took another invisible stab. “What happens in your dreams?”

He seriously hoped he was wrong. He hoped so much that maybe this one time he had worked it out wrong, that his brain had reached the wrong conclusion, just once ...

“I'm in a room alone and I'm scared, Daddy. I'm scared of the things in the dark. I scream for you, Daddy, but you never come ...”

His breath caught in his throat, but it felt more like something was reaching up from inside his guts and strangling him inside. “Oh, Leah,” he breathed as he realised fully what was happening to his daughter. “I'm so sorry ...” 

He took her into a tight hug, kissing her forehead. She had the classic signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. He couldn't fix this.  _ How _ was he going to fix this?

“Okay,” he said after a moment, trying not to break down in front of her. “I'm just gonna go and get Mummy a second, so stay here, and we'll sort this out when we come back.”

“Please don't leave me,” she sobbed, clinging onto him tighter.

“I'm just gonna be up the hall,” he assured her quickly. “I'll be right back, I promise.”

“You break promises,” Leah whispered.

“Not this one. I swear, not this one, Leah,” he said quickly, kissing her again. “I will be right back.”

* * *

He found Rose in the kitchen where he'd left her, in the company of Jack and a recently arrived Martha. When the Doctor entered the kitchen, conversation instantly ceased at the sight of his pale, haunted expression.

“Umm ... Is Leah okay?” Rose asked, fearing the worst.

“No,” he replied in a croak. “No, she isn't.”

Rose jumped out of her seat, alarmed. “What's wrong with her?” she asked anxiously.

“Leah ... she's ...” he could barely get the words out. He tried, but his mouth wouldn't move; the words wouldn't come. So instead he took a breath, leaning on the wall for support as he felt like he was about to faint. “Her nightmares. She has the same one every night. She's in a room, screaming for me in the dark, but I never come ...”

Rose's jaw dropped, but Jack and Martha still didn't understand.

“What? What does that mean?” Jack asked.

“It's the other half of my nightmare,” the Doctor breathed. “She ... I think ... Well ... I know ... Well ... She has ... Post-traumatic stress disorder.”

The others stared at him in disbelief, and slight horror.

“That can happen to three-year-olds?” Jack asked quietly.

The Doctor nodded. “Even human children at a young age can develop PTSD after a traumatic incident. And what Leah saw was ...” He paused, running a hand down his face. “It was something she shouldn't have seen.”

Rose was near tears, moving in to hug her husband. “This is all my fault ... The nightmares, the drawings, the bedwetting, her drawings, playing, the tantrum ... Oh my god, the knife, she was scared of the knife and I didn't realise ...” she croaked. “She's been cryin' out for help and no one's been listenin' ...”

“She's been asking to talk to me for weeks,” the Doctor muttered. “I completely ignored her...”

“You were busy,” Martha insisted.

“Too busy for my own daughter?!” he yelled, feeling angry at Martha, angry at himself, angry at the situation. “She just wanted to talk, and I kept putting it off for other things ... I could've stopped this before it got to this stage ...”

“The damage has already been done, don't play the blame game,” Martha told them gently. “We just need to help her, now.”

“What do we do?” Rose asked the Doctor anxiously.

The Doctor ran his hand down his face. “Start trauma-based therapy ... Tell her what she's experiencing, go through what happened with her ... Psychotherapy ... Possibly medication if it comes to it; serotonergic agents, antidepressants ...” He stopped, staring at the ground. “I'm talking about my own daughter, here ....”

“Let's start now,” Rose said quickly, taking his hand.

“Wait, what about Jackie?” Jack asked.

“To hell with her,” Rose dismissed. “She can wait. Let's go,” she said, pulling the Doctor back to Leah's room.

* * *

“Leah, have you ever heard of the term ‘post-traumatic stress disorder’?”

Leah looked at her father sitting there next to her mother, the both of them in front of her. She could see things weren't quite right. Her mum was holding her dad's hand a little tighter than usual, staring at Leah with wide, teary eyes.

Leah just shrugged in reply to her dad's question, looking back down at her toys.

“It's very important for you to understand,” her daddy continued. “Because I don't think you feel quite right, do you?”

She shook her head.

“Okay,” her daddy carried on, his voice forever calm. “There's no need to be scared. This is a really, really normal way to feel. You're not dying, you're not abnormal, and most importantly, you don't have to deal with this on your own. Me and your Mummy are going to be here for you every step of the way. But to deal with this, you need to know what's happened to you, so I'll explain. Is that okay?”

She nodded.

“Look at me, Leah,” her daddy coaxed. 

She paused in playing with her toys to look up at him. He was still bruised and cut badly, one of his eyes still bloodshot. She felt like crying, but her daddy quickly took her hand to reassure her. 

“We ... We all went through a very difficult experience in the Shadow Proclamation, and you saw things that you really shouldn't have. And those things scared you so much, that you just can't stop thinking about them. Right?”

She nodded again, still not speaking a word.

“Because of this, you're finding it really difficult to concentrate, you're having scary dreams and you just don't feel like yourself. You're drawing pictures and playing with your toys to recreate what happened. And when you're reminded of it, you start getting headaches and stomach aches. Tell me if I'm wrong.”

She didn't say a word. 

He just nodded. “You're not going to feel like this forever, I promise you. We all just need to sit down and share our feelings, talk about what happened, and look to the future. And since we're already sitting down, I say we start.”

He moved to form a circle with his partner and his daughter, clearing the area between them before picking up Floppy and setting her in the centre. He glanced at her mummy, who nodded. “Okay, we're going to play Floppy Feels. We’re gonna take it in turns, going in a circle, picking up Floppy and saying what she feels, before we put her back in the middle, okay? I'll go first to show you.”

He leant forward to pick up Floppy, holding her to face Leah and her mummy. “Floppy feels hungry, because she missed dinner,” he said, and the other two both giggled a little as he put Floppy back, and beckoned for her mummy to have a go.

Her mum leant forward and picked up the bunny, sitting her on her lap. “Floppy feels smelly, because she hasn't had a bath since Wednesday,” she said, and Leah and her dad both laughed as Rose set her down in the middle again. 

Next Leah leant forward and picked up the bunny, holding her to her chest. “Floppy feels ... lonely, because no one will talk to her.”

She put Floppy back down to utter silence. 

There was a pause as the her daddy swallowed, and leant forward to pick up the bunny. “Floppy feels guilty, because she could've done something long ago to stop this happening but she got all her priorities wrong.”

He put Floppy back in the middle again. No one was laughing now.

Her mum picked up the rabbit next. “Floppy feels useless, because she's supposed to be a mum but she didn't even notice anythin' was wrong with her little girl ...” she whispered, before putting Floppy back in the centre.

“Floppy feels sleepy, because every time she goes to sleep she gets really scared and wakes up all the time,” Leah said quietly, clinging onto the rabbit for a moment before putting her back into the middle.

“Floppy feels sad, because everything has gone really, really wrong and she feels like she's caused it all,” her daddy said, his voice wavering.

“Floppy feels overwhelmed,” her mummy began next, holding the rabbit. “Because she's tryin' to look after her sick husband, talk to her mum and brother, make meals and spend time with her daughter as best she can but there's just too much to do in one day.”

“Floppy feels scared, because she thinks one day Mummy and Daddy will go somewhere and never come back,” Leah said quietly.

The rabbit went back to the middle and sat there for a moment in the middle of a storm of feelings.

“Okay, that's enough,” her daddy said gently. “That was good. Well done. Now we're gonna play Floppy Thinks, and we're gonna talk about what we just said and what Floopy thinks about it. So,” he paused, before he picked up the rabbit, “Floppy thinks that Mummy maybe didn't pick up on her daughter because she's been trying to hold down the fort and therefore really can't be blamed for missing it.”

He put the bunny in the middle, and her mummy picked her up. “Floppy thinks that Leah doesn't have to feel alone, because she can talk to Mummy and Daddy whenever she wants and they're not gonna ignore her.”

“Floppy thinks Daddy was really busy and really sick so that's why he couldn't talk sooner,” Leah said.

“Floppy thinks Leah doesn't need to worry about Mummy and Daddy not coming back, because they both love her so much and wouldn't ever let themselves be away from her forever,” her daddy said, offering a small smile.

“Floppy thinks Daddy's blamin' himself too much for what happened because all he was doin' was tryin' to protect Leah,” her mummy said, smiling back at her daddy.

“Floppy thinks it was all Uncle Harry's fault, not Daddy's,” Leah said, also smiling.

Her daddy looked between them, beaming. “Floppy thinks Leah and Mummy are beautiful.”

“Floppy thinks that's really true,” her mummy said, laughing.

“Floppy thinks she wants to hug Mummy and Daddy,” Leah said.

“Floppy thinks that's a really good idea,” her daddy agreed, already moving forward to hug them tightly in a three-way embrace and kissing them both before they all eventually pulled back, all with stupid grins on their faces. “Bedtime I think, I'm knackered,” her daddy said, then looked at Leah. “D'you want to sleep in our bed tonight?” 

Leah nodded eagerly, already moving to fetch her pyjamas. 

* * *

Rose got Leah ready as the Doctor prepared some bedtime snacks and drinks in lieu of the missed dinner, and they ended up having a picnic on the Doctor and Rose's bed. Then came a combined parental rendition of the bedtime story 'Moon Rabbit' in silly voices until Leah fell asleep between them, drowned in the double bed covers and holding Floppy close.

“Only the start, it's a long road ahead,” the Doctor whispered to Rose as Leah slept. “We all need to heal.”

“We're gonna be fine ... aren't we?” Rose asked quietly.

“Maybe,” he muttered, turned off the light, and closed his eyes.


	34. The Day the Doctor's Libido Died

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Jack and Tony emerge from quarantine, Rose shares her worries with Jack about the Doctor's mental state.

“Jack.”

Jack looked up from his desk, seeing Rose standing there in the doorway.

“Wassup?” he asked, shutting his laptop.

“Can we talk?”

“Sure. What about?”

Rose took the seat opposite him. “The Doctor. I’m worried.”

“What about?”

“He won’t let me touch him.”

“He’s still healing. It probably hurts him,” Jack helpfully suggested.

“No,” she persisted, “it’s like … it’s like he just doesn’t want me touchin’ him. He’ll kiss me but I can’t do anythin’ else. He keeps makin’ excuses.”

“Rose, he’s just spent two months being abused,” Jack pointed out. “He’s probably feeling vulnerable. Give him some time to get used to not being in pain everytime someone touches him.”

Rose sighed. “But it’s more than that. He’s talked to me a bit but I know he’s not givin’ me the whole story.”

“Just bear with him,” he insisted. “He likes to act like he’s impervious to everything but he’ll break down eventually. Everything with Leah and all that, it’s a whole load of emotion, and you know how he likes to shove his emotions into a pot and deny everything. He’s not used to it. Give him some time for his body to heal and for him to process his own head. Don’t forget; he’s not human. You can’t expect him to deal with this like we would. Let him work it out for himself.”

Suddenly the door opened, and Jackie appeared. In a blink Rose straightened up in the seat.

“Hi, Mum,” she said, smiling. “How are you likin' Wales?”

Jackie looked between her daughter and Jack's guilty faces, and ignored the question. “What're you talkin' about?” 

“Nothin', don't worry,” Rose said quickly.

Jackie looked at Jack, who quickly shook his head. 

“Did you say hi to Leah, yet?” Rose tried next, obviously desperate to move on the conversation.

Jackie nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, she's beautiful, isn't she? She's bloody intelligent too, talks way beyond her age. That's a good nursery.”

“She doesn't go to a nursery.”

“Oh?”

“The Doctor home schools her.”

Jackie looked incongruously at her daughter. “But she will go to school, won't she?”

Rose stared at her. “No, Mum. When I was pregnant the Doctor planned out everythin' he'll teach her until she's eight. School will only drag her back.”

“Well, if you think that's best for her, sweetheart,” Jackie said, a little unconvinced.

Rose laughed at her expression. “Come on, she's already subtractin' two-digit numbers, she wouldn't be doin' that in school for years.”

Jackie considered that. “I s'pose so. What about meetin’ kids her age? What about friends? She needs friends.”

“We tried that, didn’t work,” Rose confessed. “I took her to some playparks but she kept complaining to me that all the kids were stupid. She’s too advanced for them. She’s part alien and Earth kids don’t work for her. Me and the Doctor decided that cos we travel so much we’d meet enough people for her to socialise with along the way. She’s got a few friends on other planets.” There was a slight pause as a thought suddenly occurred to Rose, and she looked at the floor. “And ... Do you know about her ...”

Jackie nodded, saving her the pain of saying it. “The Doctor told me this mornin'. Poor guy, I've never seen him so close to cryin'. Bit surprisin', actually.”

Rose frowned. “He does have feelings, Mum.”

“I know,” Jackie assured her. “He's just always used to be a bit of an ... enigma, y'know?”

Rose smiled at that. “He's changed a lot.”

Jackie nodded again. “I can see it.”

“Where is he, anyway?” Rose wondered.

“He introducin' himself and Leah to Tony.”

* * *

“Tony, I'm your brother-in-law. Sort of. But I’m called the Doctor. Well, obviously that’s not my  _ actual  _ name, but that’s what everyone calls me.”

Tony stared back at his brother-in-law across the kitchen table blankly.

The Doctor winced. “What I meant was Doctor is fine. And of course, you know Rose. But...” He pointed at Leah sat next them at the table currently sucking her thumb and staring at her father. “This is Leah. Leah, meet Tony. Tony, Leah. She’s your niece.”

Leah put on her best smile, looking at Tony. “Nice to meet you, I'm Leah,” she said politely, extending the hand that didn't have the spit-laden thumb.

Tony didn't take it, instead staring at the girl. “You're small.”

“She's a little younger than you,” the Doctor said gently, glancing at Leah who still had her thumb in her mouth, looking up at him with wide brown eyes. “But only by a couple of years, so there's not much in it. It doesn't mean that we can't all get on.”

“But she's ...” Tony began.

“You know what I like?” the Doctor interrupted smoothly, seeing where the conversation was heading. “Ginger hair! I love your ginger hair,” he told Tony. “I wish I had your hair. I'm a bit jealous.”

“I don't like it,” Tony said. “Mum says I got it from Dad and she said he was a nut-case.”

“Oh, your dad wasn't a nut-case,” the Doctor said quickly. “He was just scared of the things he didn't know, and that in turn made him a bit ... Unpredictable. But either way, he's not anywhere near here, so there's nothing to worry about. A universe away, in fact.”

Leah was tugged on his jacket. He looked down to the girl, who was still sucking her thumb.

“Daddy, can I get a drink?”

“I'll get one for you,” he replied, kissing her forehead. “You and Tony can get to know each other. Tony, do you want anything?”

Tony shook his head, and with that the Doctor got up and went out of the room, leaving Leah and Tony sitting on the TARDIS living room floor staring at each other.

Tony's face instantly turned. “Why are you suckin' your thumb?” 

Leah just shrugged.

“Only babies suck their thumbs!” Tony said maliciously. “Baby! Baby!” he mocked.

Leah just stared at him curiously for a moment, still sucking on her thumb. Tony seemed to seethe slightly at the fact he was getting no reaction, so instead his eyes averted to Floppy sitting next to her and he dived to grab the rabbit. Leah's superior Gallifreyan reflexes meant she managed to grab Floppy, but she didn't have the strength to hold on as Tony yanked Floppy out of her grip.

“And you've got a teddy!” he yelled, jumping onto his feet and waving Floppy around. “Only babies have teddies too!”

Leah finally drew her thumb out of her mouth, trying to decide what to do. “Please can I have Floppy back?” she tried.

“No!” Tony yelled, jumping onto the sofa. “I'm gonna rip your teddy's legs off!”

“Please don't,” Leah begged, tears in her eyes.

“I'll do it!”

“No, Tony!”

“Baby, baby, gonna cry!” he mocked, taking one of Floppy's legs in one hand and her body in the other ... 

“Daddy!” Leah suddenly screamed, tears flooding her face.

“Screamin' for Daddy? Baby, baby!”

“DADDY!” she screamed at full lung capacity.

The door burst open, and instantly Tony jumped off of the sofa and dropped Floppy. The Doctor entered holding a cup of orange juice, followed by Jackie and Rose.

He saw Leah standing there crying, Floppy on the floor, and he quickly set down the cup of orange juice to pick her up. “Hey, what's wrong?”

Leah sniffed, glancing at Tony, who was staring up at Jackie innocently. “Tony took Floppy and was gonna rip her,” she gasped through sobs.

“Is that true, Tony!?” Jackie demanded to know, staring down at the boy with her hands on her hips.

“No!” Tony yelled instantly.

“He was!” Leah sobbed, frustrated. 

The Doctor held her close as Rose picked up Floppy and gave her back to Leah.

“It's okay, we believe you,” Rose said gently to her daughter, looking at her mum, who was still staring at Tony.

“Nobody likes people who lie, Tony!” Jackie yelled. “I've got 'alf a mind to smack you right now!”

“No, Mum, I'm sorry, Mum!” Tony said quickly in a terrified shriek.

“Say sorry to Leah, right now!”

“Sorry, Leah,” Tony mumbled.

“Louder!”

“I'm sorry, Leah!”

“What are you sorry for?” Jackie yelled.

“I'm sorry for callin' you a baby and stealin' your rabbit and threatenin' to rip it up, I'm sorry!” Tony squeaked.

“Better,” Jackie said. “Now go and sit in the corner and think about what you've done!”

Tony ran off instantly to the corner, sitting down and hugging his knees, staring into the wall. The Doctor looked at Rose, who just hid a giggle as Jackie swept passed back out into the corridor. They followed out, closing the door behind them.

“I just had a flashback,” Rose admitted.

“Are you okay, Leah?” Jackie asked her granddaughter anxiously, who was still clinging onto her Dad and Floppy in equal measure. She nodded silently with teary eyes. “Don't listen to anythin' that boy says, love. Any problems with 'im, you tell me right away, okay, sweetheart?”

Leah nodded again.

“Good,” Jackie said, smiling at the girl. “Now c'mon, Rose, let's go shoppin'.”

“Mmm?”

“Holiday clothes for our trip!” Jackie insisted. “I need a new bikini and hair trimmer!”

She turned, and left. Rose looked at the Doctor, who was staring after Jackie, his expression slowly turning into one of utter and complete horror.

“Are you imaginin' my Mum in a bikini?” Rose wondered.

He nodded without a word, still not having blinked.

“Have you got to the hair trimmer bit yet?” Rose wondered, grinning cheekily.

The Doctor's eyes widened even more, his mouth twisting with the pure imagery.

Leah was still in his arms, looking up at him a little worried. “Mummy, what's wrong with Daddy?”

“Leah,” Rose began, obviously struggling not to burst out laughing. “A little part of Daddy called his 'libido' just died a horrible,  _ horrible _ death.”

“Rose!” came Jackie's call from down the hall. The Doctor didn't react when Rose quickly kissed him and Leah good bye, leaving him staring at the wall as she left to follow Jackie.

* * *

“Jack!” the Doctor called as he stepped into Jack's office a few hours later. “You got a minute?”

Jack looked up from where he sat at his desk, seeing the Doctor standing there in a pair of swimming trunks, a white shirt, flip flops and some sunglasses on his head.

Jack grinned, putting down the pen. “Sure, you off then?”

The Doctor nodded. “Leah wanted to say bye.”

Instantly the toddler darted out from between the Doctor's legs, running over to her Uncle Jack who grabbed her in both arms, lifting her up and hugging her tightly.

“I'm gonna miss you,” Jack said, looking at her. “You have fun on Lix, won't you?”

Leah nodded enthusiastically. “I'm gonna bury Daddy in the sand!”

“Please take photos,” Jack said with a laugh, setting her back down. “And show 'em all to me when you get back.”

“I will. Bye, Uncle Jack!”

“Bye bye, Leah,” Jack replied, waving to her as she ran back to her Dad.

“Go and wait with Mummy, I'll be down in a minute okay?” the Doctor said gently. She nodded and ran through his legs back down the stairs to the TARDIS.

“She looks a lot happier,” Jack commented.

The Doctor's face dropped slightly. “We're spending more time with her. Time we should have spent with her before. It ... won't be an instant heal, there's still a lot of hurt.”

“In all of you,” Jack finished. 

The Doctor nodded, staring at the floor for a moment before looking back up at Jack. “I just wanted to say thanks for looking after us.”

“No thanks needed,” Jack assured him, moving forward to meet him in a hug, remaining that way for quite a few moments before pulling back.

“And if you see the others let them know I'm grateful too,” the Doctor said.

“Of course,” Jack replied. “You go and have some fun being buried in sand. And you look after yourself, you still look like hell.”

The Doctor's smile restored, before a thought suddenly occurred to him. “Oh, and if the Master comes sniffing around I give you permission to do whatever you want with him. He's not my concern anymore.”

Jack nodded quickly. “Yeah I probably would put some bullets into him anyway. Now go!”

“All right, all right,” the Doctor said, backing off and sketching a half-wave before moving off down the steps. 

He met Ianto at the bottom, obviously having been waiting for him. As the Doctor approached he saw Ianto was clutching a package.

“This just came through for you,” Ianto said, holding it out to the Doctor. 

The Time Lord took it, looking a little apologetic. “Sorry ... I honestly don't know why Torchwood are getting all my post.”

Ianto paused to consider this for a moment. “Perhaps it was the order you placed in March for the alien adult ...”

“Hey,” the Doctor interrupted, hand in the air. “Rose wanted that to see what it was like, we needed a delivery address, she didn't like it ... How did you and Jack find it, by the way?”

“Both insightful and pleasurable, sir,” Ianto assured him, smiling slightly.

“Good,” the Doctor replied. “You know it's got two sides, right?”

“I'll keep that in mind, sir,” Ianto said with a slight bow.

“And Ianto, what did I say about the sir thing?”

Ianto thought for a moment. “Not to say it, sir?”

The Doctor sighed, looking at him. “I'm not going to get anywhere, am I?”

“No, sir,” Ianto replied, as polite as ever.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, moving to the TARDIS and waving a farewell hand over his shoulder.

“Have fun, Doctor,” Ianto said.

The Doctor spun around to look at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Sir?” Ianto wondered, still smiling.

The Doctor rolled his eyes again. “Bye, Ianto. Take care of Jack. See you all in a couple of months.”

He stepped into the TARDIS, closing the door behind him. He could hear everyone's stampede of footsteps from somewhere in the far corridor. He looked at the package without really thinking about it, then absently put it into a cavity under the TARDIS and turned to the console, programming for Lix.


	35. It's Purple!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family go on holiday, where the Doctor attempts to repair some of the damage done to his daughter. Jackie has a discussion with the Doctor about his activities as a parent.

“The sand is purple.”

“Yep.”

“Purple!”

“Yes, Jackie.”

“How can it be purple?!”

The Doctor sighed and rolled his eyes, looking at Rose and Leah stood next to him, gazing at the purple-sanded beach in awe.

“This is all ours?” Rose wondered.

“All private and all ours for as long as we want,” the Doctor confirmed.

“That's amazin',” Rose breathed, reaching up to hug him tightly. “It's perfect.”

He grinned, holding her in return, even if her massively pregnant belly made that slightly difficult. 

“Tony, say thank you to the Doctor,” Jackie told the boy, nudging him.

“Thank you, Doctor,” Tony said meekly.

“Don't thank me, thank the Teraca for invading Kizia two hundred years ago,” the Doctor insisted. “Right, bungalow is over there, it's self-catering, just pick in your dish in the kitchen terminal by planet of origin and it'll cook it up for you in twenty minutes. The materials in the bungalow that everything's made from is also auto-cleaning so you don't have to bother about that either. When we arrived I transmatted our stuff into the rooms, you just need to unpack. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to lie on the beach for two weeks.”

And with that, he sauntered off across the beach, towel slung over his shoulder.

* * *

“Okay, swimming is very, very easy,” the Doctor began, standing in the water up to his ankles, holding Leah's hand. She was standing beside him nervously, looking up at him with wide, terrified eyes. He grinned at her. “Oh c’mon, it's a beach. You're not going to get very far if I don't teach you how to swim.”

“But I don't wanna swim, Daddy,” Leah squeaked.

“You haven't even tried it yet!” the Doctor protested. “Just try it, and if you decide you really don't like it then we'll stop.”

“But Daddy, please, I'm scared...”

“I was scared at first too, but it's so easy once you get the hang of it, it's just like riding a bike.” He paused, and thought about what he'd just said for a moment as Leah stared up at him blankly. “Remind me to teach you how to ride a bike sometime ... anyway.” He cleared his throat, and dropped to kneel down in front of her. “If you don't like it I promise we'll come straight back out again no questions asked. But ... did I ever tell you about the Veranian invasion on Jiscal Minor?”

“Please Daddy, no boring stories,” she said, struggling not to laugh.

He stared at her with mock affront. “Boring? I'll have you know it's really, really exciting. The Veranian Empire had declared war on the people of Jiscal Minor, and I'd accidentally managed to become the Warrior of the Peace for the people of Jiscal after a little too much, umm... happy water, which of course made the invasion my job to sort out. But the trouble was loads of the Veranian ships were parked on an island right in the middle of the aptly named Tiny Angry Fish Ocean. So I had to swim across this giant expanse of water ten miles wide, and it didn't help that the Warrior of the Peace on Jiscal traditionally has to cake himself in fish food and go completely naked while swimming. So I swam all that way through the Tiny Angry Fish Ocean completely naked and covered in fish food and finally got to the island with the ship on, only to discover the Veranian ships weren't actually there. Turned out the man on Jiscal who had detected them had sneezed on the radar screen a few days before and it had congealed and made it look like there was a fleet of ships in that area. So, the moral of the story is ... Learn to swim. The end.”

She stared at him, then burst out laughing. 

He grinned at her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “So you'll give it a go?”

She stopped laughing, and instantly started worrying again. “Umm ...”

“I'm not gonna force you into anything you don't want to do,” her assured her. “I know how scary it is. But remember, I'll be here for you every step of the way, and I'm not going to let anything bad happen. Okay?”

She paused for a moment, and then finally nodded. He nodded back then straightened, taking her hand to lead her into the water just a little way.

* * *

They started with a little splashing and play, and then starting slowly moving deeper and deeper. She quickly became more and more comfortable, and eventually started swimming on her own without holding onto his arm.

In fact she became so confident she tried to swim away from him on a few occasions. Within an extremely short space of time she had learnt a competent doggy paddle and was laughing when he suggested even the idea of it being scary.

“This is really good! Well done,” he praised. “Right, next stage, let's go underwater.”

“Daddy!” Leah wailed, scared.

He laughed. “Come on, if you don't try you'll never learn. It'll be fine, I promise. Swimming didn't turn out so bad, did it?”

“No,” she said, still a little apprehensive.

“Do you want to try?”

She nodded. 

“Okay, take my hands.”

Leah did so, a little nervous, looking up at him with a true sense of complete trust. “Don't let go.”

He offered a smile. “I won't. I'm gonna count to three, and on three, you take a big deep breath and we'll go under the water, okay?”

She nodded, still gazing at him.

“If you want to come up just squeeze my hands. Okay, one, two ... Take a breath ...”

She did, and the Doctor pulled her down under the water. She had her eyes shut tightly, absolutely terrified. The Doctor grinned and rubbed his thumbs over her palms, coaxing her to open her eyes. She eventually opened one eye, then opened both, looking around at their underwater world with wonder. She began to smile and the Doctor grinned back.

Though it wasn't long until her body naturally started floating back up to the surface, held down only by her dad’s. She started kicking with her legs to try and get back down to him, and after a few moments she pushed through and started coming back down again to his height. But then she squeezed his hands and he nodded, kicking to get back up. 

They broke the surface, and instantly Leah was giggling through regaining her breath.

“Can we go again?” she asked after she'd recovered, eager.

He laughed, pushing back her soaking hair from her eyes. “Yeah we can. Ready?”

She nodded.

“One, two...”

They spent longer under the water this time, Leah's body still naturally floating to the surface. She was obviously trying to fight it, but her dad was the only thing holding her under until she squeezed his hands and they broke the surface again.

“Why do I keep going floaty?” she wondered.

“We Gallifreyans are wired up to support two hearts,” the Doctor began in explanation. “Instead of big lungs, we've got loads of little tubes full of air running all through us, and that's what makes us really floaty. Once you get the hang of it, like me, you can change the pressure inside your body to make you less floaty. But that might not be for a while, so until then I'll help you go down,” he finished, then regarded her for a moment. “Are you getting less scared?”

“I'm not scared now,” she replied positively.

“Are you ready to go down to the water bed? It's not far, and there's something I want to show you.”

She nodded eagerly, already preparing to take a breath.

He grinned. “I'll pull you down, remember just squeeze my hand if you think you're going to run out of air. One, two ...”

Leah took a breath, and went under with her daddy. He took a firm hold of her hand, glancing back at her for a moment before spinning over and kicking, starting downwards.

The underwater world was completely new to Leah. There were weird, brightly coloured plants, shoals of tiny two-headed alien fish, and as they reached the bed she could see it was covered in dark purple sand like the beach. Her daddy continued to pull her forwards, keeping her down even though all her body wanted to do was go up.

Suddenly they emerged into an area filled with brown rocks. He took her down to them, and gestured for her to look. He nudged one with his foot and suddenly a bulbous black eye opened on the top of the rock, swivelling in all directions for a few moments before closing again. Leah watched as her daddy reached down and ran a finger along the back of the rock, and instantly it opened to reveal a perfectly spherical round white gem inside it about the size of a squash ball. Leah gazed at it in awe as the Doctor picked it up and put it in one of his pockets.

She didn't want to leave, but she could feel herself starting to run out of air so she squeezed his hand. He nodded, looking up and instantly kicking, pushing them to relatively short distance to the surface.

They broke it, taking a moment to regain their breath.

“All right?” the Doctor asked Leah. She nodded, and he drew out the squash ball gem from his pocket and held it under the water. Then he lifted it up into the light, and suddenly the previously white gem was awash with colours coursing through it. “A Lixan Cluckle Gem. Every one is different; the pigments inside the clear coating are unique every time, bringing out different colours and patterns depending on how happy the cluckle's been in its life. I think this one's been really happy.”

Leah gazed at it with wonder and he smiled, holding it out for her to take. She looked up at him as though unable to believe what he was giving to her. He widened his smile and pushed it into her hands. 

“This is my special part of your birthday present,” he explained. 

“Thank you,” she said, holding the multi-coloured gem tightly in both her hands. It was surprisingly light.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “No thank you needed,” he assured her. “You deserve it. I've been a naff daddy recently, you deserve so much more for everything you've endured, you're hurting because of me and I just ...” He paused, looking at her. “... Forgive me?”

She nodded instantly, wrapping her arms around his middle. “I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you too,” he said gently, holding her tightly for a moment before drawing back. “Let's go find Mummy.”

* * *

An hour later, the suns were beginning to set. They all had dinner on the outside table, and it was Jackie's dinner choice that night, so it was somewhat predictably fish and chips. After dinner Leah wanted to play in the sand a bit more, and Rose went with her, but not before Leah had tried to get her daddy to follow.

“Daddy, come with us?”

He smiled down at her. “You go and make a start, and I'll be over in a bit, okay?”

She nodded, giving him a hug and quickly turning on her heel, taking Rose's hand and pulling her mum across the beach.

“You're not new to this, are you?” Jackie suddenly said.

The Doctor looked at her, confused. “What?”

“Parenthood. You've had kids before, 'aven't ya?”

His face dropped instantly. “Umm ... Yeah,” he croaked.

“What happened to them?”

The Doctor looked away to stare at the sky. “I'd rather not, Jackie.”

“You loved them?”

“Of course I did,” the Doctor replied, a little curtly. “I'm not a monster.”

“I never said you were,” Jackie replied simply. “It's just you never say anythin'.”

He didn't say a word in reply, so Jackie persisted.

“You're part of the family now, Doctor. I need to know who you are, if you're responsible enough to look after my grandchildren. I don't even care anymore if you're an alien, I'm judgin' you as a father. Can I even trust you?”

The Doctor paused, then pushed himself to sit up, looking across the beach to where Rose and Leah were making sandcastles in the middle of the otherwise deserted beach. “See that forest behind them?” he asked, pointing at the dense forestry behind the girls. “Right now there's a carnivorous alien wolf looking for food around the perimeter. If it sees Rose and Leah, it will pounce. But ten minutes ago I made a ghost scent leading back into the forest and soon it will pick it up and be gone, no harm done. I'm not going to tell Rose or Leah there was ever a wolf there, because that would make them worried. They don't need to be worried about anything for as long as I live. I will take care of everything, because they are all I live for now. Rose, Leah, my son, the TARDIS. It's all I have, and it's all I need.”

He looked back at her. She was waiting for more.

“Look, I know I've made a lot of mistakes with Leah and Rose, but I've been forgiven, I learnt, I moved on. I haven't got the foggiest about how to be a good husband or a good dad. It's just not something you can ever be taught. Yeah, I’ve had children before, in fact I've been a father  _ and _ a grandfather, but not in the sense of having a baby; that's not the way my people did it. We loomed children, already of a certain physical age when they came out. I was loomed as well. So this kind of parenting is all new to me.”

Jackie nodded, but was still gazing at him. “But why are you so secretive all the time? Why don't you talk about your family?”

He swallowed, bowing his head and closing his eyes. “... Because it hurts.”

She nodded slowly, sympathetic. “Does Rose know?”

“Yeah, she knows. And I know about her, too.”

“Jimmy Stone?”

He nodded. “She told me everything.”

Jackie thought for a moment. “What year is it now on Earth?”

“2011.”

“He's out of jail next year.”

“I know, and if he does try and find her, I'm ready.”

“Daddy!” Leah yelled from across the beach. “Come on!!”

The Doctor grinned. “Two seconds!” he yelled back and got up, looking back at Jackie. “You coming?”

She shook her head. “No, you go and have fun. Tony's been tryin' to get my attention all day anyway.”

He nodded. “See you later,” he said, and jogged off across the purple sand to where Leah and Rose were. Jackie watched as he met them and Leah ran to hug him instantly, almost sending him crashing to the floor. She heard the laughs from where she was sitting.

Contented, she got up from her seat, giving one last look at her beautiful motley family currently trying to wrestle each other in the sand before moving to find Tony.


	36. Share and Share Alike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose finally gets the Doctor to open up to her.

“Are you warm?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

“Comfortable? Not hungry? Thirsty?”

“No, Daddy.”

“Is the light okay? Too bright? Too dark? More pillows? Less pillows? You got Floppy? Need a blanket? Brushed your teeth properly? Been to the loo? Washed your face?”

“Daddy.”

“What?”

“Shut up.”

Rose snorted with laughter as the Doctor blinked in surprise. “Well, okay then,” he said, leaning forward to kiss his daughter good night, as did Rose. “G'night, sleep well.”

He finally got up, and Rose took his hand and made to leave. Then he let go and moved forward to make sure he'd tucked Leah in tightly. 

Rose sighed, glancing at Leah and rolling her eyes. “Don't worry, I'll get rid of Daddy,” Rose assured the girl, grabbing his arm and yanking him towards the door.

“Night!” the Doctor yelped over his shoulder as Rose pulled him through the doorway and gently closed it behind them, pulling him to their bedroom and practically throwing him onto the bed. He yelped as she climbed on top of him, pinning him to the mattress with her legs straddling his middle.

“Rose ...” the Doctor began slowly.

“Oh, come on,” she breathed. “Let's do this.”

“Wait!” the Doctor yelped as she began to reach to his shorts.

She stopped. “What?”

He swallowed, hesitant. “I don't ... I just ... Well, I just want to go to sleep.”

“What's wrong?” 

“Nothing, I'm just tired,” he insisted. 

Rose considered him for a moment and then nodded. “Okay, I understand,” she said, heaving herself off him. 

* * *

Rose wasn't sure what woke her up, but the next thing she knew it was 3am and the bed beside her was empty and cold. The Doctor had vanished, and evidently been gone for quite a while.

Unable to get back to sleep, she decided to go and look for him. She was already wearing one of his shirts since she no longer fitted into her nightie, so she completed the look by wrapping herself in his coat, before slipping on her sandals and stepping out of the bungalow.

She spotted him immediately, a black silhouette sitting by the water a little way down the beach, visible by the moonlight reflecting off of the sea. He hadn't noticed her yet. He was skimming stones across the water.

She moved towards him slowly until she was a couple of metres away, and finally he looked up. He offered a weak smile, picking up another stone and throwing it to skim the sea's surface; it bounced six times and then sank.

She sat down next to him. “Nice,” she said, smiling.

“Wanna try?” he asked, holding a stone out to her. She took it and threw it, but it only managed one bounce before it sank.

“Rubbish,” Rose admitted, laughing.

He raised a smile at that, but then looked at his feet, half dug into the sand. She pressed a quick kiss to his lips.

“Something's wrong,” she said simply. “I can feel it.”

“It's nothing.”

“Oi,” she poked him in the chest. “I will make you talk.”

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, but didn't answer.

“Look, I’m done with givin’ you space. You gotta talk to me. What's goin' on? Are you still hurtin'?”

“No, it's nothing.”

“Talk to me,” Rose implored. “It’s okay. Please trust me.”

“It's stupid.”

“Nothin' you say can be stupid.”

He sighed. “Fine, it's just ... do my breasts seem bigger to you?” he asked, sitting up and cupping his pecs.

She burst out laughing, but was surprised when he looked at her like a wounded puppy. “What?”

“Why are you laughing?” he demanded, suddenly angry. “You don't find me attractive anymore, do you?!”

She stopped herself from laughing again. When she had been pregnant with Leah, she’d had nine months of the Doctor’s uncharacteristic outbursts due to his fluctuating, rampant hormones. “You're very attractive, Doctor, okay?”

“You're lying!” he wailed, now in tears.

“Doctor, hormones,” she said gently. 

He stopped, looking down at himself and wiping at his eyes. “Stupid human hormones! I'm so pathetic, I can't even control ...”

“Doctor ...”

“... Stupid human hormones, and I'm gonna be a really bad dad to him I know, we haven't even done his room, we haven't even named him!”

“Doctor!” Rose yelled over him, pressing her fingers to his lips. “We'll do his room when we're ready, and we'll name him when it comes to us.”

“But ...”

“Seriously, shut up,” she said. “You ain't the one who spends about five hours of everyday on the toilet and spends the other nineteen tryin' to get your breath back every time you waddle for than ten paces, yeah? You're fine, honest.”

He looked at the floor again. She reached up to cup his cheek.

“Was that really all that was worryin' you?” she asked. “Because you haven't let me touch you since we got back. You’re not even talkin’ to me about what you’re feelin’. I miss you. I'd like you to stop bein' so distant now and just talk to me. If you're still not in a good place then I'll understand, but maybe I can help if you give me a chance?”

He gazed at her for a moment, his eyes wet. “Sorry,” he said sincerely. “I’ve just … I’m not ...”

“You’re not used to the feelings,” she finished. “I know. And that’s fine, I promise, you don’t have to pretend to be able to cope with it. If you’re hurtin’, please just tell me. I want to help you.”

He looked at her. He looked so lost. “I’m sorry,” he said again, kissing her before he pressed his fingers to her head and closed his eyes. He let her in then, sharing with her everything he was feeling and why he was feeling it. Love for her; happiness for knowing he was with her; grief for Koschei's death and Leah's situation; hurt for his physical scars and pain of the guilt he was dealing with; inadequacy that he couldn't deal with it; worry that the Master might return ...

She laid there beside him staring into his eyes, feeling everything he was going through. She simply raised a hand and rested it on his arm. He didn't need a reassurance. He didn't need an, “it'll be okay”, he just needed to know that she would listen.

He finally drew back his hand, pillowing his head as he continued to gaze at her.

“That's why you're different to him,” Rose said quietly, not breaking the gaze.

He lowered his eyebrows, confused.

She continued, “I told the Master you were happy because you could talk to me about anythin'. You don't keep it all inside anymore like you used to when you had big ears, yeah?”

“Big ears?” he repeated, suddenly grinning. “I resent that. And are you saying if the Master just shared his feelings he'd be a nicer person?”

Rose laughed as she heard back what she'd just said. “Well ... No, but ... I think it might be part of it. Has he ever had a girlfriend?”

The Doctor blinked at the question. “Umm ... Well, when he became Prime Minister he had a wife. But she ended up shooting him so I don't really think she was all that happy.”

Rose giggled. “But ... does he even have any friends?”

“I don't know. I don't follow him around.”

“He follows you around a lot ...” she mused. “You know, I think you were his only friend. But now you've ditched him he's Billy no-mates.”

He laughed, and continued to stare at her. “You're incredible. I'm so glad I met you. Thank you for not letting me send you back to the parallel world and slapping me very hard in the face.”

She smiled, tongue between her teeth. “You're welcome,” she said, leaning forward to kiss him. She then moved down him, kissing his jawline, then his neck, and then started towards his chest.

“Rose,” he interrupted. 

She paused. “What?”

“Please don’t.”

“Why not? I thought you were okay?”

“Just … stay here.”

She nodded, and wrapped her arms around him. He seemed to burrow in her embrace, as if trying to hide himself from the outside world.

“I’m not goin’ anywhere,” Rose said, kissing his head. “Thank you for sharin’ with me. I know it was hard.”

Then they both fell silent, just lying together in the moonlight.

* * *

A few days of holidaying passed, and Rose was happy to see the scars and bruises on the Doctor were now visibly lightening, though still very much there.

It was almost dinner time when the Doctor and Leah were out swimming in sea, splashing each other and playing with a giant inflatable ball the Doctor had found in the depths of the TARDIS. Leah was becoming increasingly more and more confident in the water very quickly, having refined her doggy paddle and starting strokes.

“You're getting really good,” the Doctor praised. “I say ... We have a race. First one to swim to the shore and run to Mum gets dinner choice tonight.”

She beamed, nodding enthusiastically. He grinned back, and pulled her to a starting point, limbering himself up ...

Suddenly he stopped, going completely rigid, staring at nothing. Then Leah yelped in shock as he closed his eyes and fainted clean away.

Leah didn't even hesitate. She yelled for her mum still sitting across the beach, grabbed his arm and started paddling towards the shore dragging him behind, struggling to pull his weight.

By the time she got to the shore her Mum had already reached them, wading in to grab her father and pull him to lay on the sand.

“Doctor,” Rose said quickly, lightly slapping his face. Then she suddenly stopped, and looked down ... “Oh my God,” she whispered, realising in a heartbeat why he had fainted.

“Rose?” Jackie yelled from across the beach. “Rose, what's goin' on?”

“Mum,” Rose croaked, and then forced herself to shout, “I'm goin' into labour, Mum!”

“What?!”

“My waters just broke!” she yelled, then looked back at the Doctor, slapping his face lightly again. “Doctor, wake up ...”

His eyes snapped open in a surprised jolt, looking up at Rose and Leah, before his brow furrowed. “Why am I ...”

“I'm goin' into labour,” Rose said urgently. “My waters just broke.”

“What? But ...”

“He's premature, isn't he?” Rose breathed, panicking. “Oh God, Doctor, is he gonna be okay?!”

The Doctor sat up, grasping her by the shoulders and staring into her eyes. “He'll be fine, let's just stay calm, get packed up and back to Torchwood to find Martha. We've got lots of time so don't panic, take things easy, you get our stuff and I'll get Leah's. All right?”

She nodded, reassured by his calm demeanour as she took a few breaths to steady herself. “Okay,” she said and accepted his help to stand up, where she began to waddle back to the bungalow.

“Doctor?” Jackie's voice asked as she reached him with Tony in tow, breathless.

“Did I sound calm?” the Doctor suddenly squeaked, looking at her and talking at about a hundred miles per hour. “I sounded calm, right? Was I really calm? Was that reassuring? Did she find that reassuring?”

“Doctor,” Jackie repeated. “Relax, sweetheart. What do you want me to do?”

“Okay,” he said, taking a few deep, measured breaths. “Get you and Tony packed up and into the Tardis.”

“Okay,” she replied, and for a moment just stared at him standing there trying not to hyperventilate. She reached forward and hugged him tightly. “Keep calm, love.”

He nodded, and she offered him a reassuring smile before moving off to the bungalow.

“Daddy?” Leah asked, tugging on his shorts. He looked down at her standing there, so sweet and small. “Daddy, what's happening?”

He dropped down to kneel in front of her, smiling as best he could. “You know your little brother inside Mummy's tummy?” She nodded. “Well, he's coming out now, and we need to go to Auntie Martha as soon as possible so she can help him get out, okay?"

She nodded again.

“Good, at least you're calm,” the Doctor breathed, kissing her forehead. “Let's pack up your stuff.”


	37. Labour Day Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose is in labour, and they return to Torchwood to get help.

“Okay, got everything?”

Rose nodded at her partner, who was carrying in the last of Leah's things into the TARDIS with the girl in tow, who was cuddly Floppy and sucking on her thumb. “It's all in our room, waiting on Mum...”

The Doctor acknowledged this with a nod, putting Leah's things onto the floor as Leah moved to stand beside her mum. “Okay. Right. Plan is, we go straight to Torchwood, Jackie can get the kids some food while we talk to Martha, find out what she wants to do and we'll go from there.”

She nodded, and they sank into silence. After a moment Rose started fiddling with the hem of her maternity shirt, the Doctor began clicking buttons on the TARDIS redundantly, and Leah continued to stare at her mum.

More time passed. 

Rose sat down in the chair, helping Leah to climb up next to her before holding her close as the Doctor stopped pressing buttons and leant against the console.

Yet more time passed.

“Where the  _ hell _ is your Mum?!” the Doctor suddenly said urgently, terror in his voice.

Rose looked at him with wide eyes. “Hey wait, we can't both panic!” she realised. “One of us needs to be calm while the other freaks out.”

“Good point,” the Doctor said, and thought for a moment. “How about you panic for a bit while I'm calm, then I'll panic for a bit while you're calm, and we just take turns?”

Rose nodded. “Okay, that's fair. Can I panic first?”

“Sure.”

“Where the  _ hell  _ is my Mum?!” she shrieked, and the Doctor quickly moved over to her, taking her into a hug of reassurance and exchanging a kiss before pulling back to rub her shoulders. 

“Don't worry, there's plenty of time to spare. There's really no rush, okay?”

She nodded nervously, realising that she was actually chewing her hair. So she reached back over to Leah and began to distract herself by combing the girl's hair with her fingers and redoing her ponytail. Then pulling it out and doing it again.

The Doctor sighed, running his hands through his hair and down his face before taking a seat next to his two girls to wait for Jackie's hopefully impending arrival. He wondered when it would be his turn to panic.

* * *

The second the TARDIS landed, Rose and the Doctor were out the door to a seemingly empty Hub.

“Where's everyone?!” Rose squeaked, one hand holding his and the other hand resting on her belly.

“Don't worry, Martha's here,” the Doctor assured her. 

She nodded quickly, following him out into the open Hub.

“Hello?” the Doctor yelled. “Martha? Jack?”

“Doctor!” Jack yelled back, bounding down the stairs three at a time, eager as a beaver. “Where the hell were you? It was the 456, they came back, Ianto nearly died but Mickey ...”

“Yeah, don't care,” the Doctor said quickly. “Where's Martha?”

“She's not here at the moment,” Jack replied. “What's up?”

“How long till she gets back?”

“Umm ... A week?”

The Doctor stared at him for a moment. “... Did you just say a week?”

“It's the holiday,” Jack said brightly. “What's up?”

The Doctor continued to stare at him. “Did you tell Martha the 1st December was pre-arranged labour day?” he asked lightly in a tone of voice that indicated a rising panic...

“No, I said it was the 11th...” Jack's smile slowly began to die on his face as he gazed at the Doctor's dinner plate-sized eyes. “... It wasn't the 11th?”

There was a slight pause.

“Rose,” the Doctor began in a voice far too calm to be sane. “Is it my turn to panic yet?”

“Yup,” Rose muttered, staring at Jack.

“ _ Holiday!? _ ” the Time Lord practically screamed. “She's on  _ holiday!?” _

“Doctor, calm down,” Rose said urgently. “It's okay, we'll...”

“ _ Calm down!?” _ he yelled. “Get her back here  _ right now! _ ”

“She's in London with her mum...” Jack said lamely.

“ _ London!?” _

“Doctor!” Rose shouted quickly before he could get any angrier. “Let's just jump in the Tardis and come back on the 11th, yeah?”

“I grounded the Tardis, we can't go anywhere for forty-eight hours!”

Rose stared at him, then looked back at Jack, calming herself to think rationally. “Jack, can you get her to come here? And tell her he's premature, I'm only thirty weeks.”

He nodded, pulling out his phone. “I'll get her here.”

“Okay,” Rose breathed, looking at the Doctor again. “Is there anyway we can delay this?”

The Doctor shook his head. “No...”

“Okay, the last one took hours to fully dilate, so hopefully we've got some time. Let's check him, make sure he's okay, then let's just try to relax, we're gonna carry on as normal, have dinner, put Leah to bed, just take things slow. Are you feelin' any contractions, yet?”

“A little bit, not much,” he admitted. “Okay, let's check him.”

* * *

The check had revealed their son's double hearts were beating strongly, his blood pressure was on par with Leah's when she’d been born and everything seemed to be fine, including that he was head down. They were relieved to say the least.

“For a moment there I thought I'd need a caesarean,” Rose muttered.

“That's a last resort,” the Doctor said quickly and sharply. “Only if you or our son is in danger. Whatever happens to me, I don't care. However incapacitated I get, however much I beg you to do it, don't let  _ anyone _ do a c-section on you unless it's an  _ absolute _ necessity, promise me.”

She nodded. “I promise.”

* * *

The Doctor only really began to feel the contractions half way through dessert. He and Rose tried to stay calm and keep up conversation with Jackie and the two children, but Leah seemed to already know what was lying under the surface despite the fact they assured her things were fine.

Rose kept nervously glancing at the Doctor who was wincing every now and again from the contractions. She'd lost track of whose turn it was to panic. 

When they finally finished eating Jackie cleaned up the plates as the Doctor and Rose moved to take Leah to her room, and it was at that point Jack entered the kitchen, phone in hand.

“She's gonna pack up her stuff and Mickey's driving her here as quick as he can, but at this time of day it'll probably be about three and a half hours. She says keep calm, do everything normally and to phone her if there's a problem.”

“Thanks, Jack,” the Doctor said.

“Need anything else?”

“No, thanks.”

“Okay, call me if you need me,” he said and swept out the door. 

The Doctor picked up Leah and together he and Rose took her to her room, sitting her down on her bed. She looked up at them both with big brown eyes, not saying a word.

“You know Mum's in labour now,” the Doctor began gently. “So if you get into your pyjamas we'll say good night now, but you can go to bed when you like since it's still quite early.”

Leah nodded as he reached for her pyjamas, pulling them out of the drawers next to her bed.

“If you have a bad dream or get scared, Granny will be around for you, but don't go into the Infirmary until we say you can, okay?” Rose explained as the Doctor helped her into her pyjamas. “We're not gonna be able to spend any time with you tonight because we've got to help him get out, but when you wake up tomorrow you'll have a little baby brother.”

Leah nodded again, but she was still gazing at them with the eyes of someone who knew a little more than they were letting on. But she just climbed under the covers, drawing them up to her chin and staring at her parents.

“Do you need anything before we go?” the Doctor asked, and she shook her head in silence. He offered a small smile, leaning forward to kiss her good night, as did Rose moment later. 

“Nighty night,” he said.

Leah watched them both move to the door, holding Floppy tightly in both arms.

“Good luck,” she said simply.

The Doctor turned back to look at her, and smiled. “Thanks. Sleep well.”

He closed the door behind him, following Rose out into the corridor where they walked a few paces before coming to a halt.

“I think she worked it out,” the Doctor said.

“Gallifreyan super-brain,” Rose reminded him, and he shrugged back his shoulders, trying not to look too full of himself. 

Rose rolled her eyes and rested a hand on her belly. “How are you?” she asked him. “How are the contractions?”

“Starting to hurt a little bit,” the Doctor admitted. “I'll check how far you're dilated.”

She nodded, leading them both back to their room where she eased herself back down onto their bed and drew up her legs to let him check.

“Barely two centimetres,” he finally surmised. “It's going to be a while.”

“Let's try and relax more,” Rose said gently, leaning forward to kiss him. “Let's have a bath, curl up on the sofa, watch some late night bad movie, just relax.”

The Doctor had to concede that sounded quite appealing, for some insane reason. “Okay,” he said.

“Right, get your kit off and we'll start.”

The Doctor frowned slightly, pursing his lips and mulling her sentence over. “This sounds exactly like the night Leah was made.”

She laughed, and disappeared into the bathroom as he began to pull off his clothes until he was standing stark naked in the middle of their bedroom. Then the door opened.

“Rose love, I ... Oh my bloody god!”

“Jackie!” the Doctor shrieked, hands instantly snapping down to cover himself, though it was a little late. “ _ Knock!” _

“Mum!” Rose burst out of the bathroom, diving to stand in front of her partner. “We're just gonna try and relax; we're gonna have a bath, okay? What do you want?”

Jackie stared at the Doctor with wide eyes. “... I've completely forgotten.”

“Bye, Mum,” Rose said pointedly, and Jackie rapidly made an exit. After a few seconds Rose turned to look at the Doctor, gazing at him for a moment before she couldn't hold in it any longer and burst out laughing.

“I'm going to pretend that never happened,” the Doctor said simply, and walked into the bathroom.

* * *

They laid in the bath together until the water was lukewarm, just talking about everything from trains to Santa. Light conversation. It seemed to be the best kind for now. Rose was acutely aware that with every few minutes that passed the Doctor's pain was increasing, and the contractions were starting to become closer and closer together. She was also aware of the fact that because the baby was premature they were probably going to be in for a rough ride.

When the contractions were four minutes apart Rose decided to get her and the Doctor out of the bath and ready for the inevitable. The Doctor was masking his pain for the time being, but she could feel him starting to become worse through the bond. They both dried off and got dressed into comfortable clothes before the Doctor checked her dilation. She was at six centimetres. 

“It's a lot faster than last time,” Rose commented as she sat up on the bed, hoping her relief was warranted. “Maybe this'll be kinda quick.”

“Mmm,” the Doctor replied, and then instantly doubled over on the bed and let out a cry, arms wrapped around his middle. Rose instantly moved forward and held him tightly as he panted and moaned his way through. It lasted for a minute until he relaxed, regaining his breath.

“Okay?” she asked gently. 

He just breathed, still hunched over. 

“How bad was that?”

He looked at her, and then scrunched up his eyes. “Bad, very bad.”

“Infirmary?” Rose suggested.

He nodded. 

* * *

“Oh sweetheart, how are you?” were Jackie's first words as she rushed into the Infirmary twenty minutes later, finding her daughter and the Doctor sat together on a bed, holding hands. “Are you okay? Just talk to me if you're worried or when it gets bad 'cos I'll be here for you.”

“I'll be fine, Mum,” Rose assured her, squeezing the Doctor's hands.

“Yeah, the second time's better than the first. I reckon it's cos your vagina's already been ripped wide open so ...”

“Mum!” Rose yelped, eyes wide in horror.

“I just want you to be reassured, sweetheart,” Jackie said gently, then rested her gaze on the Doctor, who looked a little pale. “What the bloody hell's wrong with you? Rose is the one who has to deal with this!”

Rose then realised that Jackie didn't have a clue that the Doctor was the one who went through the contractions. She was about to open her mouth to explain it when the Doctor let go a sudden pained groan and doubled-over, reaching up to Rose for support.

Jackie looked bewildered. “Bloody hell, talk about sympathy pains,” she muttered, staring at him.

“Mum,” Rose began anxiously, holding her husband. “He feels the contractions, not me.”

There was a slight paused as Jackie looked at her daughter, then the Doctor, then at her daughter again ... Then her face screwed up and she burst out in uncontrollable laughter. “Oh my god!!! That's priceless!!!”

“Mum!” Rose urged, feel the Doctor shaking in her arms. “Go and get Jack, yeah? Find out where Martha is.”

Jackie nodded, unable to speak through laughing before she turned and left. Rose continued to hold the Doctor until the contraction stopped and he looked up at her, panting.

“I hate your mother,” he grated.

“Right now, I don't blame you,” Rose replied quietly, kissing him and just gazing into his eyes for a moment afterwards. “Doctor ... What ... What might be wrong with our baby?”

“Anything, really,” the Doctor replied, still panting with his eyes closed. “Or completely nothing; it's really down to what damage the Shadow Proclamation caused. Either way he's gonna be premature so he'll need medical care for a while, but we can deal with anything ... Right?”

“Right,” Rose confirmed, and they only had to wait another moment for another contraction to hit, signalled with the Doctor's strangled cry. It finished a minute afterwards and for a moment he just panted.

“Rose,” he croaked.

“Yeah?” she asked softly, brushing back his hair.

“We haven't done his room yet ...”

Rose suddenly found herself smiling, happy that he hadn't started hating her or the baby yet. But it wouldn't be long until he changed his mood. “We'll do it later,” she assured him. “Let's just focus on this.”

“You guys all right?” Jack's voice came from the doorway, and Rose looked up to find him and her mum strolling in.

“Yeah, where's Martha?”

Jack dodged the question. “How far along are you?”

“Around six centimetres. Where's Martha?” she repeated patiently.

Jack pulled a face. “Umm ... D'you want the bad news or the good news?”

Rose stared at him with wide eyes. “Where's Martha?!” she asked, a little panicked.

“Okay,” Jack said quickly, taking an affirming breath. “Now, don't panic, but she's not even halfway here yet. I just checked the traffic reports and there has been a massive pile-up and severe congestion on the M4 where she is ...”

“What?!” the Doctor and Rose yelled in unison.

“I know, I'm sorry, but I don't think she's gonna get here in time ...”

“Doctor?!” Rose yelped, clinging onto him. “Who the hell is gonna deliver our baby?!”

“But!” Jack continued calmly over the parent's combined hysteria, bringing out his phone. “We have a Plan B,” he said, indicating Jackie over his shoulder.

“Don't worry sweetheart, I'm here!” Jackie announced, walking back over to them fully scrubbed up and as eager as a beaver.

“You're joking, right?” the Doctor yelped. “This is a joke!!!”

“Wait, hear us out,” Jack said, and tapped on his phone a few times. “See, what we thought, was delivering a baby, how hard can it be? And look!” He held up his phone to reveal he was on Google, searching the phrase 'how to deliver a baby'. “16 million 600 thousand results. We're safe!”

“You're  _ Googling!? _ ” the Doctor suddenly shrieked.

“WikiHow!” Jack insisted. “Apparently it only takes eleven easy steps.”

“Rose, please tell me I'm not hearing this!” the Doctor wailed.

“You're hearin' it,” Rose muttered, looking between Jack and her Mum all scrubbed up and impatient to start delivering a baby. “Is this really all we've got?” she asked Jack.

“Well, you can't go to a human hospital, Martha's not here and you can't do it, Doc, but if you've got a better suggestion ...” he trailed off, as a genuine invitation.

Rose glanced at the Doctor. “I s’pose not ...”

“Right then!” Jackie said, stepping forward.

“I can't believe this is happening ...” the Doctor whined, and then cried out with another contraction, but he knew quite positively that things would only get much,  _ much _ worse.


	38. Labour Day Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the absence of Martha, they struggle with the birth. The Doctor becomes severely ill.

Eventually Jack and Jackie managed to get a foetal monitor attached to Rose, showing the unnamed boy was still perfectly stable. But as the hours filtered by, the Doctor’s pain was increasing. Soon he stopped crying out, and had started constantly groaning loudly for the entire length of the contractions. They started getting closer and closer, more and more painful, and soon the Doctor's loud groans were yells. Then he was crying, and then he was screaming.

But whilst the contractions were getting closer together and more painful, Leah's birth seemed to be repeating itself as Rose's dilation had monumentally slowed down. She'd only dilated a further centimetre in the two hours that had gone by.

Jackie's amusement at the Doctor's situation had very quickly evaporated in the moments he had started to scream, so while Jack decided to take Rose for a walk around the TARDIS to hopefully speed things up, Jackie had taken it upon herself to look after the father to her grandchildren, sitting by him for support.

As another contraction came to a close, the Doctor was left lying on the bed clutching at pillow, crying and gasping for air. She'd never seen him in so much distress; it was quite disturbing. She wondered what she could say to help him – probably nothing. But as it happened, the Doctor was the first to speak, his voice barely a whisper; his throat raw from screaming.

“I can't do this, Jackie,” he panted, tears pouring down his face. “I thought I could but I can't, I just can't ...”

“You're kinda committed now, sweetheart,” Jackie pointed out gently, rubbing his arm reassuringly. “I know that's not what you wanna ‘ear, but in a few ‘ours it'll be over, and you're gonna 'ave a beautiful new baby to raise. That's what I 'ad to keep tellin' myself, and it got me through two labours.”

“I don't  _ care _ about what you went through!” he suddenly screamed, and she could see he was having another massive contraction. “Yours was  _ nothing  _ compared to this!”

She didn't reply as he screamed and contorted with the agony in his abdomen; she understood. As the contraction came to a close the Doctor panted and blew his way through to a mild mental stability, and opened sunken eyes to Jackie.

“Sorry,” he muttered. 

“It's okay,” Jackie replied. “When I was in labour with Rose I gave Pete a helluva smack I can tell ya. He got a mild concussion. Don't bloody regret it, neither. He was spewin’ out the same rubbish I am to you right now.”

The Doctor let a small smile tug at the end of his lips through his otherwise pain-wracked face, but it soon disappeared again as he lost the energy to even smile. She gazed sympathetically at him just lying there completely drained of life – he was horrendously pale now, gasping for air, tears silently rolling down his face with barely enough energy to open his eyes.

“Look,” she began gently. “I know you don't care what I think, but I think what you're doin' is amazin'. This 'appened with Leah, right? I reckon it took guts to wanna go through this again.”

“Or pure stupidity,” the Doctor breathed.

“Yeah, there's that,” Jackie admitted, laughing. But her laughter ceased as another contraction hit, and remained for one very long minute. She held him through it, hoping she was giving him some kind of help.

“Jackie,” the Doctor gasped through pants and blows when it had finished.

“Yeah?”

“I love Rose, I love Leah, I really do.”

“I know you do, sweetheart.”

“Tell them that. And my boy.”

Jackie frowned. “What?”

“If .. If the worst happens, I've prepped a theatre for a c-section – that one.” He gestured to one of the adjoining rooms with an uncoordinated hand movement. “Look after them.”

Jackie quickly realised he seemed to be acting like he was on his deathbed. “What are you talkin' about?”

“I ... I don't think I can make it through this,” he croaked.

“Don't be silly, sweetheart, you're gonna be fine.”

“I'm ...” He took a deep affirming breath. “I'm trying to hold on, but I ... I don't think I'm gonna last much longer ...”

“Doctor, your brain is messin' up with the pain. You're really confused and scared, okay?” Jackie replied gently, brushing back his hair from his sweaty forehead. “You're gonna be fine.”

“I can't do this,” he sobbed. “I can't ...”

“You can,” Jackie urged.

“I can't,” he squeaked, tears rolling down his face, and yet another bullet of a contraction hit him. Instantly Jackie realised that although his body might live through this, his mind was fighting a losing battle. 

For a minute he screamed non-stop at the top of his lungs, his entire body shaking badly. It finished, and he just laid there with his eyes closed, not saying a word and panting. A few moments passed, and Jackie found herself incredibly worried. 

“Doctor?” she asked quietly.

He didn't respond. She checked he was breathing, then checked his hearts – all still going. 

“Doctor, are you awake?” she asked quietly. He didn't answer. She checked his eyes just in case he was too exhausted to reply, but he didn't even flinch. He'd passed out from the pain. “Oh love,” she breathed, pushing back his hair again. “Just hold on.”

“How is he?” came Rose's anxious voice from the doorway, followed by the frantic waddle of a very pregnant woman moving to her partner.

“He just passed out from the pain,” Jackie informed her quietly as Rose reached the Doctor perching on the bed beside him and taking his hand, kissing him on the lips. “Can't we give 'im anythin' to help with the contractions?”

Jack shook his head sombrely. “Martha said we couldn't last time because he's allergic to the medication and it might hurt the baby through the bond.”

Jackie sighed, looked at the Doctor lying there – her technical son-in-law, the father of her grandchildren, and suddenly felt extremely responsible. She let go of him and marched over to Jack. “Call Martha, tell her to bloody get here right now or she'll have a  _ very _ angry grandparent to deal with, you got that?!”

“Yes, ma'am,” Jack said quickly, digging out his phone.

“Rose.” She turned to her daughter. “Stay with him.”

“Okay,” Rose replied, getting onto her knees on the bed to hold him tight, just in time for him to come around again.

“... Rose?” he asked quietly, barely being able to focus or speak through desperate gasps for oxygen.

“Yeah?” she whispered, kissing him.

“Don't go,” he panted.

“Stayin' right here,” she assured him. “I love you. We can do this.”

“It hurts,” he whispered.

“I know, just a little longer.”

Another contraction hit, but he didn't even have the energy to scream anymore. 

“P-P-Please ...” he croaked. “Please ... help me.”

Rose could feel tears in her eyes at the incredible pain and distress he was in. “Just a little longer,” she repeated.

“Why ...” he gasped. “Why did you ... d-do this to me ...”

“I'm so sorry,” she whispered, unable to stop the tears. “I love you so much.”

“I h-hate you,” he croaked between pants. “I hate you ... I hate this baby!”

Rose swallowed. She had known this was coming, but it was still a punch in the face. “I ... I'm so sorry for this. I love you. You're the bravest, most intelligent and attractive alien I've ever met and I want to be with you forever. You don't deserve this, I should be feelin' this. I can't even do anythin' for you. I feel so guilty. Please forgive me.”

The contraction stopped, and the Doctor began to heavily pant and blow, taking a moment to compose himself before he looked back at Rose, and gave a wonky smile.

“Thanks,” he whispered.

Rose burst out laughing even through the tears.

“Whatever ... I say ...” he began, reaching up to stroke her face. “Don't mean it. I love you ... And this is our son. Don't feel bad. I chose this. Only my fault.”

Rose nodded, but inside she hated herself. And even more so when the next contraction hit. She held him tightly through it, but he still passed out.

* * *

Things only went from bad to worse. The Doctor was barely conscious, his breathing was rapid and shallow, he was sweating and every time he woke up he seemed to be more and more confused about who he was and where he was. Martha had told Jack to put him on a physiological monitor, a pulse oximeter, and an oxygen mask, and to watch for him going into shock – he seemed to already be halfway there.

Yet another hour passed with no signs of Martha. She and Mickey were just coming up to Bristol, and with Rose at eight centimetres now, Martha had said not to wait for her and deliver as soon as they could, because with the Doctor going deeper into shock with every minute that passed he could be in serious trouble. It was the most terrifying waiting game Jack, Jackie and Rose had ever experienced.

“I've phoned Gwen,” Jack announced at midnight, dropping into a seat beside the bed. “She's got onto Andy and got a police order out that Mickey's car can break the speed limit as soon as it crosses the Severn Bridge into South Wales. She should be here really, really soon.”

Rose nodded, sitting with the Doctor's head in her lap, dabbing away the sweat from his forehead with a cold flannel. He hadn't moved or made a sound for an hour. “Hear that, Doctor? It'll be over soon.”

To her complete surprise he opened his eyes, looking up through slits. He grunted, eyes scanning around the room at all the people before resting on Rose. 

“Rose,” he whispered.

“What?”

“Something ... doesn't feel ... right.”

“Yeah,” Rose said gently, squeezing his hand. “You'll be okay soon.”

“No ...” he croaked. “The baby. Something ... Something's wrong.”

“He's fine, Doctor,” Rose replied instantly, smiling reassuringly. “I'm almost dilated.”

“No,” he persisted, frustrated. “Please check.”

She frowned slightly, then drew back from him. “Okay,” she said, looking at Jack. “How's he doing?”

Jack checked the foetal monitor. “Looks fine to me.”

“Please,” the Doctor urged.

“He's fine, Doctor,” Rose insisted, pressing a hand to her belly. “Still there, still fine ... hold on ...”

She pressed both hands to the bump, checking it over, it almost felt like ...

“Oh god, I think ... I think he flipped back over.”

“What?” Jackie asked quickly. “Are you sure?”

Rose reached out for her hands and pressed them to her belly to let her feel. Jackie did so carefully, and drew back quickly with wide eyes. “Oh god, I think he's breech, love.”

“But he was head down earlier!” Rose insisted, staring at Jack and her mother in shock, before looking at the Doctor, but he was unconscious again. Her heart sank. “Oh God, what do we do?!”

“Check her dilation,” Jack ordered quickly, standing up. “I'll phone Martha.” He drew out his phone again and speed dialled Martha. After two very long rings, she picked up.

“ _ Jack?” _

“We've got a problem, we think the baby's flipped back over into a breech position.”

There was another pause. “ _ Oh no.” _

“Jack!” Jackie called from across the room. “She's at ten!”

“She's fully dilated, Martha,” Jack said urgently. “The Doctor's out for the count, what the hell do we do?”

“ _ How are the baby's lifesigns?” _

Jack darted over to check the monitor. “Looks fine.”

“ _ Start pushing.” _

“Rose,” Jack said quickly. “Start pushing.”

“When?” she asked, grabbing for the Doctor's hand as she positioned herself. “I can't feel the contractions ...”

Suddenly there was a knock on the infirmary door, and everyone instantly froze in mid-panic, frowning and staring at the door. Jack glanced at Jackie and Rose before moving over to open it.

“Oh, hello, Leah. What are you doing up?” he asked the girl standing in the corridor hugging Floppy and sucking her thumb, staring up at him.

“Can't sleep,” she said tiredly. “Uncle Jack, I'm scared.”

Jack's heart sank. “Leah, I'm really, really sorry but you have to wait, everyone is really busy.”

She looked at the floor, then back up at Jack. “What's wrong with Daddy?”

Jack frowned. There was no way she could see him from where she was standing. “He's just in a bit of pain from helping out your brother, but he's fine.”

“No, he's not,” Leah said adamantly. “He feels bad. I'm scared.”

Jack frowned. “Daddy's going to be fine, Leah, and it's all a bit kind of graphic in here and trust me, it's not really something you wanna see.”

“I wanna see Mummy and Daddy,” Leah insisted, not moving from her spot.

“I'm sorry but ...”

Leah clearly decided she'd had enough of trying to reason with her Uncle, blatantly ignoring him and marching through the doorway to where her mum and dad were. She seemed unfazed by everything that was happening around her, using a chair to climb up next to them. She methodically placed Floppy down at the head of the bed, then took her unconscious father's hand in her little one. She then looked up at her mum, and smiled supportively, taking one of her hands in her other one.

“Carry on,” she said brightly.

Everyone was slightly stunned for a moment, before Rose suddenly jolted and her other hand flew to her belly, her eyes wide.

“I felt that!” she gasped. “I felt the contraction!”

“The pain?” Jackie asked urgently.

“No, I just felt it pullin’!” She looked at Leah, stunned. “Did you do somethin'?”

Leah just shrugged with a look of pure innocence, looking back at her Dad, still unconscious.

“We can push!” Jackie concluded. “Rose, sweetheart, push!”

Rose was still contracting, so she braced herself and began to push with all her might. When the contraction ended, there didn't seem to be anything happening for the moment.

“Keep it going, love, he'll be right out,” Jackie urged, true relief filling her that this would be over very soon.

Jack had returned to them now, his phone put away. “Can I help?”

“I need some room,” Rose said quickly, crowded in the little bed space next to the unconcious Doctor. Jack dived in to grab the Doctor, pulling him across to give Rose a little more space. He ended up having to take him off of the bed, holding him in his arms whilst keeping him in range, so Leah could keep holding onto his hand. Another contraction came and went with no sign of the baby's emergence. Then another. And another.

With the fifth contraction Rose pushed harder than she ever had before, and still nothing happened. But just before the sixth one arrived Jack suddenly frowned, looking at the foetal monitor ...

“Wait, stop!” he said quickly. “Rose, the life signs are falling ...”

“What?!” Rose squealed, panting from the effort of pushing. “Is he okay?!”

“I dunno, but they're falling, his hearts rate is getting slower ...”

Rose turned to check the monitor herself, suddenly panicking badly. They were falling, down, down, down ...

“Mum!?” she gasped, her eyes beginning to water. 

Jackie seemed a little pale. “Now don't worry, calm down sweetheart ...”

Jack desperately tried to adjust the Doctor so he could get his phone, until suddenly the infirmary door burst open and Martha strode in with Mickey behind her. 

She stopped dead to regard the situation. “Okay, just what's going on in here?” 

“Martha!” everyone exclaimed at once, utter relief washing through them all simultaneously.

“The baby's life signs are falling,” Jack said quickly.

“Okay, out of the way,” Martha said quickly, jogging over to them and quickly scrubbing up to don some gloves. It quickly became apparent to her what was happening.

“Okay, the cord's prolapsed and compressed and all wrapped around your somersaulting son,” Martha said quickly. “Jack how are the vital signs?”

“They're plummeting.”

“Okay, we need to get him out right now. We're going to do a crash c-section. Doctor?”

The Doctor said nothing, still hanging unconscious in Jack’s arms. 

“Has he prepped a room?” Martha asked. There was a very slight pause. “Anyone?!” she urged.

“Yes,” Jackie suddenly said. “He said it was in there.” She gestured to the room behind where Mickey was standing, transfixed by what was going on in front of him.

“Wait!” Rose yelped. “He said not to have a ...”

Martha abruptly stopped being a friend, turning into a professional doctor. “Your baby is a premature footling breech, the umbilical cord's prolapsed and wrapped around him and is now being compressed, which is restricting the oxygen supply to your baby, and in turn his hearts are failing. If he gets no oxygen he  _ will  _ be brain damaged, he may die. You're having a c-section, Miss Tyler,” Martha replied sharply, then turned to Jack and Mickey. “Scrub up you two, you're assisting me.” 

Jack pulled the Doctor away, setting him on a neighbouring bed before he and Mickey ran off.

“Mrs Tyler, Leah,” Martha continued. “I need you two to look after the Doctor in here, keep him on oxygen. If he starts failing do CPR; you need to do chest compression to both hearts, not just one. Got it?”

Jackie swallowed nervously, then nodded quickly. “Okay.”

“Miss Tyler,” she turned to Rose. “Stay calm, I'm gonna put you under general anaesthesia, and when you wake up you'll have your boy, all right?”

“I want the Doctor,” Rose gasped, tears streaming down her face.

“Miss Tyler, I am so, so sorry he can't be with you for this, but the more time we lose the more danger your baby is in, there's no time.”

“Doctor,” Rose sobbed. “Please Doctor, please I need you ...”

He didn't move an inch.

“Ready!” Jack and Mickey appeared in the doorway, fully kitted up for surgery. 

“Captain, get Miss Tyler into theatre.”

“Doctor!” Rose practically screamed, desperately reaching out for him, but she was already being wheeled away, and there was nothing she could do. “Leah, Mum, look after him!”

Jackie watched as her daughter, Martha, Jack and Mickey disappeared through the doors in a rush of energy. As the doors swung shut behind them she found herself in sudden silence, standing next to the Doctor lying there on the bed, pale and unconscious.

“Mummy and baby be okay,” Leah said positively. “Don't worry Granny.”

Jackie offered her a smile, dropping down in to the chair beside the bed. “Am I glad you're here, sweetheart.”


	39. Chapter 39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor, Rose and Leah meet their new family member as they recover from the ordeal.

“Pohh, Pohh, alee,” a voice said from somewhere in the outside world, little hands pulling on his arm. “Alee, Pohh.”

The Doctor groaned, but didn't move an inch. “Ber alyk, Leah, Pohh’afa’eela,” he muttered tiredly.

“Alee!”

“Fo, Leah...”

“Fia, Pohh, qe'afa'cennio.”

“Ei’afa’ha ce’ark,” he muttered, and turn over onto his side, covering his head.

“What are they sayin'?” another voice suddenly said. “Doctor? Are you awake?”

“Fo, ber alyk,” the Doctor muttered.

“Leah, what did he say?”

“He said no, go away.”

There was a brief moment of silence. “Doctor, you say that to my face!” the voice suddenly shrieked.

The Doctor eased open his eyes, but could barely even get them all the way open. He saw a slightly annoyed Jackie towering over him, staring down at him with her hands on her hips.

“Joi,” he muttered, yawning. Then he realised he had IV lines going into his arms, then he realised he was in one of the infirmary beds. Then he remembered why, and his eyes shot open as he bolted up. “N-je’chali!? Jahi Liala!? Ei’poea!?’

“Doctor.” Martha suddenly appeared behind Jackie, looking very exhausted but quite alert. “Wrong language.”

“Oh, sorry, where's Rose? My son?”

“They're fine, Rose is asleep and your son's doing fine. How are you feeling?”

He sank back down into the mattress, relaxing at her words. He was still absolutely exhausted. “Can I see them?”

“Let's sort you out first,” Martha replied gently. “How are you feeling? You went through a lot, last night. You’ve been unconscious for ten hours.”

“Are you hungry? D'you want some toast and tea, love?” Jackie butted in suddenly, eager to help.

The Doctor blinked, a little surprised. “Um, tea, please, thank you. Not hungry.”

“I'll be right back,” Jackie said positively, leaning forward to kiss his cheek and hug him, before bounding off like a happy gazelle out the door.

The Doctor stared after her for a moment, confused. “... What's wrong with her?”

“She's happy,” Martha replied, laughing.

“Oh, that would be it,” the Doctor supposed. “Can I see them now?”

“I need to explain to you what happened first,” Martha said gently, glancing at Leah. “Does Leah want to stay for this?”

The Doctor looked at his little girl sat next on him on the bed, staring at Martha, not moving an inch. A few moments passed, and she still didn't move.

“Looks like she's staying,” the Doctor confirmed, wrapping a tired arm around his daughter. “What happened?”

Martha nodded, and pulled up a chair. “To cut a long story short, Rose had a c-section...”

“What!?”

“Hear me out, Doctor,” Martha continued quickly. “I arrived shortly after you went into shock, just after it was discovered the baby was breech, and that his heartsbeat had begun to weaken because the umbilical cord was prolapsed and compressed. I had to make a quick decision, and with the threat to your son's life, the fact he was a footling breech  _ and _ his prematurity my choice was to deliver him by c-section. It went smoothly, took fifteen minutes.”

“And they're both okay?”

Martha nodded. “Though Rose will need time to recover and your son is still premature and needs to be monitored at all times. After the birth I detected signs of some respiratory distress, but that's common for prematurity.”

“Are you giving him surfactant?” the Doctor asked tiredly.

Martha nodded. “He's got every tube and medication he could ever want, be assured. But I expect he's dying to meet his parents and his big sister,” she completed, smiling at Leah. “I'll bring him over if you like.”

“Yes, please,” the Doctor replied, and she moved off. He looked at Leah, and she beamed and hugged him around the neck instantly.

“I looked after you, Mummy and baby all night,” she said proudly, kissing his forehead. “Uncle Jack and Granny were really bad at it.”

He smiled a little at that, but then suddenly frowned as his hazy brain processed something. “... Have you been to bed?”

She nodded. “A bit last night and then a bit earlier before Granny woke me up with Cheerios.”

“Oh, then thank you,” he said quietly with an exhausted smile.

“You're welcome, Daddy,” Leah continued. “Now you and Mummy are both still sick and you're boring when you're sick so I'll get you better really fast,” Leah insisted, tucking the covers around him. “I read this book Granny found for me in the liba-rary about sick people and that they need soup and oranges, so I'll get you soup and oranges, okay?”

“Sure,” the Doctor replied, too exhausted to laugh but being unable to resist a smile. 

“And cos you and Mummy are sick I'll look after the baby as well. Though I think he's sick too. Why is everyone else always sick? I'm always looking after you. Get better so we can play again, Daddy.”

“It'll be a couple of days,” the Doctor told her. “Mummy's got a big cut across her stomach and we'll need to help her walk again when she's ready to try.”

Leah nodded. “Okay. But don't get me anymore brothers because I don't think I can go through that again. That was really tough for me.”

“Tough for you?” the Doctor repeated.

“Yeah,” she said, “it was really hard. So don't order me anymore brothers.”

“Order?”

“Yeah,” she said, “you know, like how you ordered that tape you gave to Uncle Jack and Uncle Ianto.”

“Right,” the Doctor said, trying not to laugh. “Don't worry, I don't think we're gonna order anymore brothers.”

“Good.” She nodded. “But why didn't they send him in a box like they did the other thing? Cos it woulda been easier.”

“Very good question.”

“You should complain,” Leah informed him. “Like Auntie Gwen did when they sent her the wrong jeans.”

“I really think I might,” he replied, struggling to stretch a little. His entire body was dead weight. “I’ve gotta complain to someone.”

Martha returned, and he caught the first glimpse of his brand new son lying in amongst the blankets of a little bed, tubes going in him.

He was so lost in thought that he was startled when he found Martha had already reached in and carefully taken the boy out, depositing him on his exhausted father's chest.

The Doctor just stared. Even though he of course had held Leah like this when she had been born, this seemed so much different. The boy was tiny compared to how Leah had been, and he was just lying there. His tiny hands spread out across the Time Lord’s chest, and  the Doctor could feel his son's tiny double hearts beating for all they were worth, seemingly reverberating in his own chest. Tubes were running everywhere, but it wasn't like the Doctor cared about that. He just stared, taking in every single part of his son as though observing a piece of beautiful art. It certainly felt like he was.

“Do you have a name yet?” Martha asked.

“No,” he replied, still staring at the boy. “He's so beautiful. This was worth it. Every second.”

“He looks weird,” Leah said. “Why’s he so wrinkly and red?”

“He was born a little earlier than he should’ve been,” Martha told Leah. 

“Oh,” Leah muttered, frowning. “Is he gonna be okay?”

“Yes, he’ll be fine.”

“Can I touch him?” she asked.

“Just be very careful.”

Leah nodded, shuffling to get a position before running a gentle finger down the boy’s face. “Hi,” she said. “I’m Leah. I’m your big sister. So you gotta do what I say, mmkay? And I’ll look after you. Even if you do look weird.”

“He's perfect,” the Doctor breathed, his eyes shining. “Is Rose awake?”

Martha looked over at the bed. “Not yet, she'll be awake in a bit.”

“Mmm,” the Doctor replied tiredly as he yawned slightly. Martha made to take the boy back, but the Doctor glared at her, locking his arms in place around the boy.

“Mine,” he said shortly.

She smiled understandingly and pulled away. “You can have him for ten minutes, then he has to go back in.”

“I've got tea!” Jackie's voice announced from the doorway, and everyone looked up to find Jackie strolling in holding a tray, Tony tagging along behind her. “I've also got some biscuits, I know you said you weren't hungry but I thought ... Oh!” She saw him sitting up with the baby boy on his chest, holding him protectively. Instantly she turned into a puddle of grandmother love and shuffled towards the bed, eyes aglow.

“Hi, Jackie,” the Doctor said, grinning.

“Oh, look at his little face, his little nose, his little ears ... His little fingers!” she cooed, running her thumb over the boy’s tiny hand. “Oh, he's so beautiful!”

Leah harrumphed, folding her arms and staring at her grandmother indignantly.

“Oh, you too, sweetheart,” she assured the girl, smiling. “Does he have a name, yet? Can I hold him?” She didn't even wait for an answer, setting down the tray and picking him up gently, holding him close. “Thank you for him, Doctor,” she said quietly, looking at the father with absolute gratitude. “My first grandson!”

“Your only grandson,” the Doctor corrected under his breath.

“Tony, come say hello ...”

* * *

“Doctor, wake up, lazybones,” Rose's voice said in his ear a few hours later and the Doctor opened his eyes again to find Rose sitting in a chair beside his bed, brushing his hair back and kissing him gently. Everyone else had gone now, and the boy was next to the bed. “Shift over.”

“What?”

“Make room.”

“Oh,” he muttered, mustering up what little energy he had to methodically move to the right of the bed to allow her to climb on next to him. She was wincing, and he caught a glimpse of the stitches from the caesarean. “Sorry,” he said seriously.

“It's fine,” she said. “We've got him now, and Martha says I'll be able to walk again properly soon. I'm all drugged up, can't feel the pain. Shuffled over here earlier with Jack's help.”

He nodded. “I didn't mean for it to be like this, I thought it'd be easier.”

“It's not your fault,” she assured him as they both looked at the boy. 

The Doctor reached forward. “Just going to take you out now,” he said to the baby as he took him out of his bed and carefully and placed him in his lap, making sure all the tubes were still connected. He and Rose both looked down at their son, whose eyes opened a little. 

“Hey,” Rose said quietly. “Sorry for the messy introduction, but welcome to the universe. You’re gonna love it.”

He reacted to her voice, but didn’t move too much. Then there was silence again as they both watched him, mesmerised.

“Rose,” the Doctor suddenly croaked. “You can kill me however many times you like, but I am never going to have another child. I'm not doing that again, not even for you. I'm sorry.”

She nodded. “I understand.”

“I'm scared,” he admitted. “That one was ... I can't even describe it. I thought it might be easier because I was expecting it this time, but I've never been in so much pain. Not even close. I'm scared that if we had another, the moment where I hate you and the baby won't be temporary, it'll be permanent. I'm scared that it'll get so hard that ... I won't think it's worth it anymore.”

She nodded again. “Yeah, I know. After that I don't think I wanna go again, either. You know what the scariest bit was, though? Lyin' in the operating room, the exact moment Martha put me under. Just before I went out I had the worst feelin', I felt kinda ... I dunno. Alone, I guess. I wanted you holdin' my hand cos I was so scared, but I knew you couldn't come with me, I knew that you and our baby were in trouble ...” She was suddenly on the verge of tears, shaking. “I thought for a minute that when I woke up you would both be dead. I just kept gettin' this picture of wakin' up, everyone starin' at me with this look in their eyes, Mum cryin', Leah cryin' ... That scared me so much.”

He nodded. “I know,” he murmured softly. “But we're still here. A bit battered, yeah, but we made it, and he made it.”

“But no more.”

“Never, ever,” he confirmed.

“Let's just lie here for a few days.”

“Sounds like a plan,” the Doctor confirmed. 

“And he needs a name.”

“Later,” the Doctor dismissed. He carefully put the boy back on his bed, before moving back to lie next to his partner, putting one arm around her and letting his head loll on the pillow next to her. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and then closed his eyes, perfectly content.

* * *

Thankfully Jackie took responsibility over the children as the two parents tried to recover from their ordeal. It was two days before either of them felt like trying to regain the basic skill of walking again, and three before the Doctor ventured out of the infirmary to have a wash and get dressed. He met Jack on the way back, the ex-Time Agent grinning at him.

“Hey, you're up!” Jack said. “How are you and Rose?”

“Recovering,” the Doctor replied shortly, giving a half-smile.

“So, got a name yet?”

“No.”

“I thought this would happen,” Jack said, and presented the Doctor with something drawn from his pocket. A baby name book. “I've marked out my favourites.”

The Doctor took the book, flicking to a page Jack had marked to find he'd underlined the name 'Jack' in red felt pen.

The Doctor looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 

Jack grinned. “I think it has a ring to it.”

“I don't,” the Doctor replied.

Jack persisted with his grin. “Do you need me to do anything for you?”

“No, thanks.”

“Just ask,” Jack replied, slapping a reassuring hand on his shoulder before moving off. 

* * *

The Doctor found Rose sitting next to the baby boy in an incubator, her hand reaching in through one of the holes to rest her finger in their son's tiny hand. The Doctor rolled back his shoulders and took a breath, pulling up a chair to sit next to her.

She glanced at him, and then looked back at their sleeping son, his little lungs breathing for all it was worth, helped by a nasal tube.

“How long will he be in here?” Rose asked, her voice cracking.

“Until he doesn't need it anymore,” the Doctor replied, squeezing her arm. 

She nodded, and reached out for a hug, to which the Doctor obliged.

He pulled back, and took out the book of baby names.

“Jack gave me this,” he told her. “How about we read some out, get things going?”

Rose nodded. “Okay, sounds fair.”

“Right,” the Doctor began, flipping over to a random page. “First one ... Robin.”

“Are we gonna give him a brother and call him Batman?” Rose wondered.

The Doctor pulled a face, flipping to a random page again. “Okay. Tyler.”

“Tyler Tyler?”

“Right, fair point.” He flipped the pages again. “Howard.”

“Because when he's born he's instantly going to be 40-years-old.”

“Okay, not Howard. Jerry?”

“Springer.”

“Simon?”

“Cowell.”

“Jed.”

“Ward.”

The Doctor sighed. “Okay, Liam.”

“No.”

“Shaun.”

“No.”

“Oh, come on, Rose,” the Doctor said, exasperated.

“I'm sorry, he just doesn't look like any of those,” she said quietly.

He looked at her, then back at the book. “Okay, next one ... Lex.”

She looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “Luther? Are you serious?”

The Doctor's eyes suddenly widened. “Wait! I think I've got something. Not Lex, Alex.”

Rose looked at him, then looked at their son, and suddenly she smiled. “Yeah. Alex. He looks like an Alex. I like that.”

“Me too.”

“So, that's settled,” she said, smiling.

“Is that it? Have we named him?” the Doctor wondered, unable to believe it.

“Yep,” Rose replied, kissing her husband. “Alex Tyler.”

The Doctor beamed, jumping to his feet instantly to make for the door.

“Wait!” Rose said quickly and quietly so as not to upset Alex. “Where are you goin’?”

“To tell the others we've got a name!” the Doctor whispered back.

“No,” Rose said. “Don't yet.”

“Why not?”

“Can we ... Can we wait until he gets better?”

He stopped completely, his face dropping. “He  _ is _ going to be okay, Rose,” he assured her.

“I know, but I'd rather tell them with him in my arms than tell them while pointing to a box,” she replied quietly.

“Okay,” he replied after a moment, sitting down again next to her. “I understand.”

She leaned forward and held him with her head on his chest, and he held her tightly in return, kissing her gently as they both stared at the boy in the incubator. Alex Tyler, the fourth gallifreyan in the universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation
> 
> Pohh, Pohh, alee - Daddy, Daddy, wake up   
> Alee, pohh - Wake up, Daddy   
> Ber alyk, Leah, Pohh’afa’eela - Go away, Leah, Daddy's sleeping   
> Alee - Wake up   
> Fo, Leah - No, Leah   
> Fia, Pohh, qe'afa'cennio - Yes, Daddy, it's morning   
> Ei’afa’ha ce’ark - I'm having a lie in   
> Fo, ber alyk - No, go away


	40. Future Echoes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family begin to re-establish normality. Jack gets a visit from a future version of the Doctor, carrying a warning.

“Two times table until twenty,” the Doctor instructed his daughter, leaning forward and covering up the worksheet with folded arms, grinning.

“Two, four, six, eight, ten, twelve, fourteen, sixteen, eighteen, twenty. Make it harder!” Leah demanded.

The Doctor grinned. “All right, three times table until fifteen.”

Leah frowned a little. “Umm ... Three ... Six ...” She looked down under the table. “Nine, twelve ...”

“Oi!” the Doctor said quickly. “No finger counting!”

“I wasn't!” Leah insisted, looking at him with wide, innocent eyes.

“Put your hands on the table where I can see them, then.”

“But, Daddy ...”

“No buts!” the Doctor insisted. “Now come on, hands on the table and gimme the three times table until thirty.”

“But it was fifteen earlier!” Leah whined, putting her hands on the table.

“That was before you cheated.”

“But, Daddy ...” she said with big doe eyes.

The Doctor immediately closed his eyes. “Don't 'Daddy' me with those adorable eyes, Leah. C'mon, I know you can do this. Three, six, nine, twelve ...” He opened his eyes again and gestured for her to continue.

“... Fifteen ... Umm ... Eighteen ... Um ... Twenty-one ...” She stopped and frowned, visibly resisting the urge to count on her fingers. She looked up at him, very quickly distraught. “Daddy, I can't do it!” she wailed.

“Yes, you can.”

“It's too hard!”

“What's twenty-one plus three?”

“Twenty-four,” Leah said without thinking.

The Doctor stared at her, urging her to catch on.

“What?” she asked. Then blinked as she realised. “Oh! Umm ... Twenty-four ... Twenty seven ... Thirty!”

“Yeah!” the Doctor cheered, clapping. “See, you  _ can _ do it.”

“Yeah, I can,” she replied, beaming.

“I think the whole multiplication thing scares you, a bit. But you've just proved to me you can do it, so don't get worried when I say multiply, all right?”

“Okay,” Leah replied, nodding positively.

“Good. Lesson end for today ... But take this worksheet and I want it done by Friday,” he said sternly, giving her a sheet of paper full of maths problems. “All right? And no counting on your fingers, or I'll know.”

“Yes, Daddy,” she replied, clutching the paper as climbing off the chair. “Can I go play with my new stuff until dinner?”

“Yep,” he replied. “We'll be having dinner a little late tonight so grab a couple of biscuits if you like.”

“Thank you,” she said and ran out of the room.

He smiled and leant back in his chair, propping his feet onto the table. It was New Year's Day, four weeks since Alex had been born. They'd done the usual festivities of Christmas with everyone, although in the complete blur of looking after Alex, he and Rose had forgot to get anyone presents. Thankfully the others had been very forgiving and understanding.

Alex had been doing very well and it wouldn't be too long until he came out, Martha had said. Although the Doctor could monitor Alex perfectly well by himself, he had made an oath long ago that he would ask Martha to deal with anything medical to do with his family. So he let her get on with it.

Rose spent most of her days in the infirmary, watching over Alex. She was worried, the Doctor understood that, but no amount of reassurance was helping. He knew Alex was going to be fine and he also knew that Rose knew that as well, but he supposed Rose just couldn't quite let go of her worry as a mum. Which was understandable, so he just retreated to the background to look after Leah, do all the meals, keep Jackie reassured and the others up to date whilst going to the infirmary as often as possible. 

Jackie and Tony meanwhile had been looking around all the accommodations Jack had sorted out for them to view in Cardiff, as Jackie quite rightly pointed out she couldn't exactly stay in the TARDIS, but she wasn't about to go back to London either. She seemed to have finally settled on a flat in the bay quite close to the Hub.

The Doctor ripped himself out of his thoughts, running a hand through his hair and getting to his feet, tidying up the papers on the desk to a slightly more acceptable mess before leaving to go to the infirmary.

There he found Rose and Martha next to the incubator, but something was different. The instant Martha caught sight of him, she smiled and beckoned. He moved over to find Alex was out of the incubator, and taking his first feed directly from his mum.

“Doctor!” Rose began, looking as though she might burst into tears with happiness. “Look ...”

He just smiled, sitting beside her to watch nature at it best until it was over. Rose just cradled Alex after that, his shining blue eyes open and flickering around the room as he waved his little arms and legs around. He was a lot healthier than when he'd be born, a lot more alert, bigger and chubbier, off of most of the tubes and somehow even more beautiful than before. He had grown a mess of thin brown hair on his head and his eyes were a bright blue.

“Are you going to tell me his name, yet?” Martha wondered.

“Not until he's officially out of the incubator,” Rose replied as the Doctor leant forward to take Alex from his mum's arms, holding him carefully. The boy giggled, and dribbled slightly.

“I think he might be ready to come out now, actually,” Martha informed them, checking her chart over. “He seems to be strong enough now without support, he's sorted himself out very fast. Let me check him over.”

The Doctor and Rose simultaneously nodded, kissing the boy before carefully handing him to Martha. The Doctor got up and outstretched his hand to Rose for her to take it and leave, but as ever, she was reluctant.

“I wanna stay with him ...”

“No, c'mon, Martha can look after him. And I've got something to show you.”

Rose was intrigued instantly. “What?”

“Come and see,” the Doctor insisted, grinning as he kept his hand outstretched to her, waggling his fingers.

Rose looked at Alex in Martha's arms, and Martha smiled reassuringly. “He’ll be fine.”

Rose took a few long moments to decide, before she finally took the Doctor's hand and let herself be led away from Alex. The Doctor gave a quick glance at Martha, mouthing 'thank you'. She just nodded and smiled knowledgeably.

The Doctor took Rose out into the corridor and straight to their bedroom. She was about to protest before he pointed to the side wall. The door to the en-suite was there as usual, but there was also another door. A new door. She looked at him enquiringly, but he just let go of her hand and gestured for her to go ahead and open it.

Slightly apprehensively she moved forward and opened it. Automatically a dimmed light came on and revealed what was inside ... And her jaw dropped.

It was a nursery for Alex. The walls had a jungle theme, full of the animals the Doctor had planned out, in full colour. There were artificial windows currently set to night, with jungle green curtains and trim. The cot was ready and waiting at the far end with an animal themed mobile turning slowly above it whilst twinkling a calming melody. There was a nappy changing table on the left side of the room, and a comfy rocking chair and stool next to the cot for feedings.

There was a toy box with a few cuddly toys on it, and shelves fitted with more toys and books on. A tiny wardrobe was in the corner, filled with little outfits ready to be worn and a chest of drawers full of the essentials. There were even paw print rugs on the floor. Everything was here.

Rose turned to the Doctor with her jaw agape, staring at him leant against the door-frame with his arms folded, grinning at her expression. “When did you do this?”

“Oh, a little here, a little there,” the Doctor said, nonchalant.

“Did ... Did you do all of this?”

“Oh no,” the Doctor said quickly. “I just did the walls. Gwen planned and arranged the room, Jackie and Tony got the curtains and rugs and whatnot, Jack and Ianto bought the furniture, Mickey put up all the shelves, Martha got all the toys and books, and Leah was official tester – and don't let anyone tell you any different.”

She just stared. “... Everyone helped?”

He nodded. “I just mentioned about needing to do the nursery, then Gwen started asking me how I was going to plan it. Then things kind of escalated and soon everyone wanted to help. Took a few weeks, but we got there.”

“It's perfect,” she croaked, hand over her mouth. Then she turned back to him and hugged him tightly. “Thank you.”

He just laughed, kissing her and holding her tight.

“God, I feel so guilty,” she muttered after a moment into his chest.

“Why?”

“I've just been sitting in the Infirmary doin' nothin' and you've been doin' this, lookin' after Leah, doin' all the meals and stuff ...”

“You weren't doing nothing, you were caring for and watching over our son,” the Doctor replied gently. “I didn't want you to worry about anything else, so I took care of everything so you could fully concentrate on him.”

“There was nothin' to worry about, though,” she murmured.

“No, there wasn't, but you can't be blamed for wanting to make sure that was true. You're his mother, after all. Staying there all that time and doing all you could for him proved how great of a mother you are. Besides, even if I did think you were completely barmy for that I would've still done all this, because I love you. Got it?”

She giggled and kissed him again. “Yeah.”

“Right, now let's go and introduce our son to everyone.”

\----------

Martha had given the all clear and went to gather everyone in the Hub for the big announcement. Five minutes later the Doctor emerged from the TARDIS to the waiting crowd, holding the boy swathed in blankets closely followed by Rose.

“Everyone,” the Doctor announced. “I'd like to introduce to you ... Alex Tyler.”

Everyone took in deep breaths as if to cheer loudly, but the Doctor quickly stopped them.

“Quietly!” he hissed, nodding at the boy.

Everyone quietly cheered, dancing silently on the spot. Then Alex was passed around the crowd, each of them awwing and cooing at the boy, who just stared up at them all, utterly bewildered and making all manner of noises. He finally got back to his dad's arms, where he clearly felt as comfortable as could be and fell quiet and still.

“Looks just his mum,” Jackie commented, smiling in the way only a proud grandmother could. “He's got her nose. Her ears. Those bright blue eyes ... They're from my gene pool, you know ...”

The Doctor cleared his throat intentionally, but she didn't seem to pick up on it.

“He's even got her mouth!”

Rose glanced at her husband, currently standing there a little miffed, and grinned. “Mum, how's the house hunt goin'?”

Jackie frowned for a moment, thinking about it. “I tell you, these Welsh are bloody weird,” she said, shaking her head. “I was in the shop earlier and this woman, she's got a kid called Mun!”

Gwen smiled slightly. “Mun is just slang we use,” she explained.

“Oh,” Jackie realised. Then thought for a moment. “This is gonna take a bit of gettin' used to.”

“I could get you a place in London if you like,” Jack offered.

“Nah,” Jackie said, looking at the Doctor and Rose. “You'll be hangin' around here, won't you?” 

“You know ... you're welcome live in the TARDIS with us,” the Doctor began. “There's plenty of room.”

She laughed. “No, you need your space. Besides, I don't wanna be wakin' up to an alien invasion every day. I'll stay here in Wales. I'd rather be here with my family than back in London where you'll only bring them back once every year ...”

“Hey!” the Doctor interrupted. “That was an accident!”

“But completely  _ your  _ fault!” Jackie pointed out.

“No! Well ... Yes, but it could've happened to anyone!”

“Because I know loads of aliens with time machines!” Jackie replied sarcastically.

“Mum! Doctor!” Rose yelled quickly, placing herself between them. “That's why Mum can't stay with us, you two can't have  _ one  _ civil conversation, yeah?” 

She stared pointedly at them both with narrowed eyes. Jackie harrumphed and the Doctor looked a little guilty, scuffing the ground with his shoes.

“Right. Look, Mum ...” Rose turned to her mum. “Wherever you live, we'll constantly be over, I'll make sure of that. If you don't feel comfortable here then it's okay for you to go back to London ... But if you're here right next to the Hub then it'll be an easier journey for us, and Jack'll be able to look out for you. Right, Jack?”

“Sure,” Jack said.

Jackie paused to consider this, Tony as ever quiet and standing next to her side. “Me and Tony'll stay here in Wales,” she finally concluded.

“Sure?” Rose asked.

Jackie nodded.

\----------

After Alex was put to bed the adults just spent a while chatting, the Doctor and Rose thanking them for the nursery and all they'd done. They had of course accepted their thanks gracefully. As time ticked by eventually people began to filter away, until it was just Rose, the Doctor and Jack remaining. 

“You off after this?” Jack wondered.

Rose nodded. “It'll be just us four spendin' time together.”

“It's been a while,” the Doctor added on the end. 

“But how are you coping?” Jack wondered. 

The Doctor and Rose looked at each other. It took a few moments to gauge how they both felt at that current moment, and when it came it surprised them both.

“I'm ... fine,” the Doctor announced, gazing at his partner with a huge smile. 

“Me too,” she replied, smiling back. It was as though Alex had healed a forming rift between them over the past four weeks, rebuilding bridges that had been destroyed by the Master and the Shadow Proclamation. 

Suddenly they both simultaneously felt tiny hands tugging on their trousers, and they looked down to see Leah, gazing up at them with wide eyes. 

“Daddy, Mummy, I ate all the biscuits but I'm still hungry!” she wailed.

“Okay, okay,” the Doctor said quickly, getting to his feet. “We'll have dinner now. What do you want?”

“Chips!” Leah said excitedly.

“Okay,” the Doctor replied. “Say bye to Uncle Jack.”

“Bye, Uncle Jack,” Leah said as she ran over to the ex-Time Agent to give him a hug.

“Bye, Leah,” he replied. “I'll see you again soon.”

“Oh, are we going for long time, now?” Leah asked, turning to her dad.

“Yep.”

“Oh, bye, Uncle Jack!” she yelled and hugged him again.

“Bye, Leah,” Jack repeated, grinning.

She turned and ran to her parents, who moved off to the TARDIS. They both said a final good bye and thanks to Jack, before stepping inside.

“I'll just dematerialise,” the Doctor said, moving over to the console and hammering a few buttons.

“Dinner!” Leah demanded, tugging on Rose's trousers again.

Rose rolled her eyes. “C'mon, Leah,” she said, taking her daughter's hand and leading her to the kitchen.

The Doctor started dematerialisation, the column pulsating up and down to take them into the vortex. He just spent a few moments watching it, before he suddenly remembered that package he had left under the console before Lix. He pulled it out and opened it, reaching in to take out a piece of paper and a data-chip.

He frowned, opening the paper.

_ Enjoy! _

_ Your secret admirer x _

His frown deepened, and he plugged in the data-chip, and fired it up. There was a surge of energy, and a hologram appeared on his left, crackling into life. It was slightly corrupted, jolting every few seconds and flickering in and out of life. The Doctor backed away instantly as he realised ...

“ _ This is the last living member of the Shadow Proclamation High Council, recording what I expect to be our last log, universal time 25.01/7, _ ” a pale woman wearing a familiar long black robe said as the Doctor's eyes widened. This was a recording from the future ... “ _ We are falling, one by one. We should have never meddled with its family. We should have left them alone. We are the makers of our own demise. We created Echo, and now one by one it is hunting the High Council down and executing us for what we have done. _

“ _ I know not of its face, or its voice, but Echo makes it clear that it cares only for our deaths. It strikes from the shadows, kills, and is gone in a blink. They say to see Echo in the flesh is to see Death incarnate. It shows no mercy, no remorse, no love for the ones that it seeks. Only I remain, but I know not for long. _

“ _ But I truly believe that we deserve nothing less. We had taken control of an innocent life and warped it until it became our own retribution. We cannot ask for forgiveness. Echo is the end of the Shadow Proclamation. The child of the Doctor will come for me. I pray only that death will alleviate my guilt for the horrendous damage we have done.” _

It crackled, and died.

The Doctor just stood there, staring at the space the hologram had been standing. He felt completely numb. Was this the future? This was what the Shadow Proclamation had seen – their own demise, mass execution by one of his children, and they had broken every law they had ever created to stop it from happening, to prevent the reign of Echo ... And Echo was one of his children.

“Doctor?” a voice came from the corridor and the Doctor almost jumped about a foot in the air, spinning around to see Rose standing there staring at him, a little bemused. “What's up with you?”

The Doctor blinked a few times, letting his body relax. “You startled me.”

“Sorry,” she said, giggling. “Come on.”

“... Okay,” he muttered, quickly shutting off the monitor, taking out the data-chip and dropping it into his pocket, then moving quickly away from the console.

As he reached her, Rose frowned. “You sure you're all right?”

“I'm perfect,” the Doctor said as happily as he could, forcing a grin. “C'mon.”

He took her hand and led her back through the doorway, away from the console to his two children ... Wondering just what exactly the future might bring for him and his happy little family.

Or maybe his tiny little Time Lord brain couldn't even begin to comprehend it.

\-----------

As Jack watched the TARDIS disappear, he took a few moments to finish his thoughts, then turned to go to bed. He was just about to climb down into his room when there was a sudden buzzing at the Hub door – someone wanting to be let in.

He frowned slightly, straightening up. Who the hell was that at this hour?

All the same, he checked his gun was in his holster and slowly moved to the door, cautious. He pressed the button and the wheel rolled back to reveal ...

“Hey, Jack,” the Doctor said, grinning.

Jack blinked. “You, umm, you just left.”

“Yeah, I know,” the Doctor replied, still grinning. “Perfect timing, if I say so myself.”

Jack stared at him for a moment. “Err, you wanna come in?”

“No,” the Doctor answered. “I've only got a few minutes, I need you to give me a message from me.”

“The other you?”

“Yeah. Almost exactly one year from now on the 10th December, when the clock hits 6pm exactly, you need to tell my other self that it's a code ten, and give him this.”

The Doctor held out a piece of paper, which Jack took, frowning. “What's a code ten?”

“A warning to myself.”

“Saying what?”

“Can't say. Just promise me, 6pm on 10th December you will tell him it's a code ten and give him that piece of paper. Don't wait for anything. Scream and punch him if you have to. He has to know, and he has to know then.”

Jack nodded. “Promise.”

“Don't forget,” the Doctor warned. “You're going to have a completely barmy year, but 6pm, 10th December 2012, you tell him.”

“Okay, I got it,” Jack assured him.

“The entire universe is in your hands, Captain Jack Harkness ... Sure you don't want to at  _ least  _ write it down somewhere?”

“I'll remember!” Jack insisted.

“If you're sure,” the Doctor replied, a little unconvinced. “You couldn't remember the right date to give Martha for labour day.”

“I thought you said the 11th!”

The future Doctor just sighed and rolled his eyes. “I have to go, thank you.”

He turned to leave.

“Wait,” Jack said quickly.

“6pm, 10th December 2012!” the Doctor snapped, exasperated. “Write it down!”

“No, not that bit,” Jack replied quickly. “But you're from the future ... How about you give me a little bit of the future? Give me a clue to what happens?”

The future Doctor didn't seem very happy with the idea of that, but Jack noted he wasn't saying no ...

“Go on,” Jack encouraged, smiling his most charismatic smile. “Just a tiny bit. Little clue.”

The Doctor sighed. “Fine,” he said, and with that he grabbed Jack's face in both hands, wrenched it forward, slammed their lips together and snogged the life out of him for five very long and very lovely seconds.

He finally drew back, letting go of Jack and simply letting him stand there feeling as though he was going to collapse at any second. Then the Time Lord simply turned, and walked towards the exit.

“Wait! Doc! Is that the future?” Jack asked, breathless.

The Doctor kept walking towards the exit.

“Doctor! You can't just walk out! Was that a joke? Do I have sex with you? With Rose? Both of you? At the  _ same time?!” _

The Doctor had gone.

Jack sighed as the Hub door rolled closed in front of him, staring into the metal before raising the piece of paper the future Doctor had given him, considering it. Well, what was the worst that could happen? He wasn't telling the Doctor for a year anyway. He opened the paper, and read it.

_ The reign of Echo will begin. _

Well, what was that supposed to mean? 

He shoved the paper into his pocket, noting to put it in his desk tomorrow morning. Then he left to bed, anticipating some lovely dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All done! TBC in 'Mother's Nature'.


End file.
